The sound of love
by HerDEstiny
Summary: Set after the season 3 finale. Caroline and Tyler are leaving Mystic Falls because the council knows what they really are. Things get complicated when Caroline and her friends found out that Tyler is actually Klaus. Stefan will have to make a choice between saving Caroline or staying with Elena. What consequences will his choice lead to?
1. Chapter 1

Hi everybody, this is the first chapter of my Steroline fanfic.

The story I'm about to tell you is set some weeks after Elena turned into a vampire, it's about Stefan and Caroline so I'm not going to deal with Elena's decision of becoming a vampire (maybe there will be some hints later on) and neither with Damon and Elena. I'm not going to take them out of the narration but their scenes will be short.

Hope you enjoy my poor writing.

_I'm leaving._

"Where is Caroline? She said she would have come to say 'hi' today and she talked about bringing some B+"

Stefan looked at Elena, many thoughts were crossing his mind, that he doesn't like his girlfriend joking about her new vampire side or that Caroline wouldn't have come that day.

"I'm surprised your boyfriend didn't tell you"

Damon suddenly entered the room. "Told me what?"

"That Caroline and Tyler are leaving Mystic Falls. Today."

"What? Why didn't you tell me this?"

"You're going through a hard period, didn't want to make things worse ." Stefan tried to calm Elena down but she was a vampire now, she wasn't the calm and reasonable Elena anymore.

"Didn't you think that I will eventually know that my best friend left town?" Elena was angry like never before, she felt the urge to punch Stefan but before her vampire side took the control she decided to leave the room.

Stefan was about to run after her when a strong hand grabbed his arm. "I go. Dealing with a new born vampire is not for you, brother."

"I did that before, Damon"

"Oh right.. Caroline. The thing is Stefan, that she is not Caroline." And with that Damon followed Elena outside.

"Never saw you so mad at Stefan" there was a bit of irony in Damon's voice.

"He lied to me about something very important" Elena had her arms crossed and was looking at the sky.

"Well, when you two first met he told you a more big lie but you got over it quite soon" those blue eyes were looking at the same sky.

"Not funny, Damon" the older Salvatore laid his eyes on Elena and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Let's go" he grabbed her hand.

"Go where?"

"To Caroline. Do you really want to let her go without sharing a touching goodbye?" Damon wanted Elena to feel better and the only way possible was to lead her to Blondie.

"Elena, finally you came" Vampire Barbie held Elena in her embrace, without worrying about hurting her, she couldn't get hurt anyway.

"I'm sorry Caroline, I just found it out"

Caroline didn't understand why, she had told Bonnie, she was sure Elena knew about her departure. "Stefan didn't tell her" Damon's voice came from behind Elena.

Caroline and Damon shared a gaze, she was surprised. Very much.

"Elena, Damon what's happening?" Tyler was right next the front door.

"Tyler" Elena run to his friend. Yes, because it wasn't only Caroline, even Tyler was about to leave Mystic Falls. Tyler and Elena were good friends, he always tried his best to save her and everyone, plus Tyler was able to make Caroline happy. And that, for Elena, was the most important thing. Her best friend happiness meant more than anything.

"Why didn't he tell her?" Caroline was looking at Elena and Tyler who were exchanging the last greetings but she was talking to Damon.

"He wanted to keep her from doing something stupid, like asking him to make you stay. And I know my brother, if Elena asked him to, he would have made you stay."

"Of course, he would do anything for her" she whispered.

"Is not only that, he would have used Elena's prayers as an excuse to make you stay. Stefan's not really happy to lose you again." Damon's voice was trying to tell Caroline something, but what?

Caroline met Damon's blue eyes for the first time after their conversation had started and she could see he was saying the truth, other hand she didn't want to know what her eyes were saying.

"I'm gonna miss you, Elena" Caroline cried. And after a long hug she said "I'm going to see you soon, we have the eternity after all but I have to go now"

"Go where?" Tyler asked surprised, Caroline was already outside the door.

"I have to do something before leaving" and then she left the house.

"She's going to Stefan, isn't she?" Elena's eyes were looking at Damon. No jealousy in her eyes, she knew how important Stefan was for Caroline and how much Stefan cared about her. She noticed Stefan's expression when Damon told her that Caroline was leaving Mystic Falls, there was pain in his eyes, the same that there was in Elena's.

"You heard" Damon's voice seemed to be proud of the new vampire next to him.

"I'm a vampire now"

"Really? Didn't notice" and they shared a smile, the kind of smile they hadn't shared for long time. Yes, Elena was a vampire and she never wanted to be one but she was fine, she was strong enough. Seeing Elena not losing her humanity was the only thing that kept Damon from freaking out and, honestly, killing Stefan. Elena's humanity was the only thing that helped Damon not to lose his own and the thought of Elena becoming the monster she always tried to fight in Damon was his nightmare. But somehow Elena didn't lose her humanity and neither did Damon.

"I knew I would have found you here"

"How did you know?"

"Because when you are upset, you get hungry and for as I know the wood is the best place to get bunnies"

A smile appeared on Stefan's lips.

"Stefan, I'm leaving" and suddenly his smile disappeared.

"I know" was the only thing he was able to say.

"Look, I know that we didn't spend a lot of time together lately. You being a ripper, Klaus ruining our life, Elena turning into a vampire, I know I wasn't really there for you when you needed me but I am now and always. You know that, don't you?"

"I do. You're my best friend after all." The vampire wanted to look fine, he wanted to let Caroline know that he was actually fine even though he wasn't.

"I'm your best friend?" Caroline was surprised. They barely spoke in the last months and still he thought about her as his best friend?

"Yes, well I don't have many choices, right?"

"Not funny Salvatore" and it wasn't funny, she wanted to be worth it.

"I'll miss you, Caroline" his eyes couldn't break away from hers.

"I will miss you too, Stefan" she softly smiled at him, maybe for the last time and then she left, leaving his best friend alone in the woods.

* * *

Okay so Caroline is leaving town and only God knows what can happen to her with Klaus that pretends to be her boyfriend. Should I keep writing? Please send me your comments)


	2. Chapter 2

"_You want to"_

Three weeks, three long weeks till Caroline has left Mystic Falls. The life in the little town populated by vampires, witches and werewolves was finally quite but the problem when you live in Mystic Falls is 'for how long?'

The boarding house was silent in the morning, only the birds were singing a joyful melody.

* * *

"Morning sunshine" Damon's voice was sweet and sexy at the same time. How was it possible, Elena thought. She had her eyes still closed but she could feel Damon's body lying next to her and for the first time she was glad to be a vampire; as a human the warmth of his body would have displayed on his cheeks and showed her emotions clearly.

"Is that my coffee?" Elena pointed to the cup Damon was holding into his right hand.

"Nope, it's your blood" Damon's blue eyes caught the surprise in her expression. "Stefan's not home. He's the one who brings you coffee in the morning, I bring you blood and if you don't want it I will be more than happy to drink it"

"No, I want it" Elena took the cup and started to drink. She _really _wanted blood but Stefan had never gave her some, just coffee. Every morning. "Where is Stefan, by the way?" Elena asked.

"He's been out all night, maybe some vengeful rabbit has kidnapped him" Damon was smiling but he was worried, Elena could see it clearly but she let it go: she knew what was going on.

Almost two weeks had passed since the last time Caroline had called to warn that he was fine and Stefan was worried more than anyone else. Every time he saw Elena with her phone in her hands the only question he was able to ask was "is it Caroline?" and the answer was always negative. Of course Elena was worried too but Caroline was with Tyler and she knew that he would have never let something happen to her but somehow this assurance wasn't enough for Stefan.

"Get dressed" Damon's voice awoke Elena from her thoughts "we have a lot of things to do"

"What are you talking about?"

"Since Stefan is nowhere to be found, today you're mine" That smirk on Damon's lips was hiding something, the desire of spending one day, just one, with Elena. Only the two of them.

"And where are you going to bring me, Damon?" she teased

"You'll see" and he left the room to let Elena get dressed.

She needed a break from her vampire life, actually she needed a break from Stefan. For the past three weeks the only thing he was able to do was giving advice on how to face the new situation, he became apprehensive, he was always afraid that the situation could get out of control, that she could become the monster he didn't want to be. Elena needed to breath and a day of with Damon was perfect. Elena got out of her bed, smiling.

* * *

"I need your help, Bonnie" Stefan was outside the front door, waiting for Bonnie's invitation to come in.

"My help for what?" she knew what he was about to answer but she asked anyway.

"To find Caroline" there was nothing she could have done to make him leave so she invited Stefan in her house, faking a smile.

Stefan looked tired, as he didn't sleep the previous night and who knows, maybe even the night before. "Are you okay Stefan? You seem a bit.."

"Worried?"

"Yeah.." they shared a gaze before Bonnie started again "You two are so alike. You and Caroline, I mean. When you left Mystic Falls with Klaus she spent the first couple of weeks freaking out, she always said 'Don't worry Elena, Stefan is fine and he will come back soon. I'm sure'. But she wasn't , she just didn't want to upset Elena. You know Caroline, she always tries to do the best for her friends."

"She does" there was something different in Stefan's voice, something Bonnie had never heard: adoration. "We need to find her, Bonnie"

"I bet she's fine"

"And why didn't she pick up my calls?" an angry voice came out from Stefan's throat.

"Stefan, she's travelling around the world with the man she loves, give them some time for, you know.."

Stefan didn't buy it, Bonnie was hiding something. He knew Caroline, she would have never missed a call from her friends, even though she was enjoying her time with Tyler. That last part echoed into Stefan's mind, an annoying echo.

"You can easily find her with your magic, so what's the problem Bonnie?" the concern was growing into fury.

"I.. I can't" Bonnie was shaking when Stefan grabbed both her arms.

"Why?" Stefan was hurting Bonnie, he wasn't able to control himself, the idea that something had happened to Caroline was blurring his mind.

"There is something you should know. Something that you all should know" and it was something terrible, Stefan could sense it.

* * *

"What is this emergency you talked about, brother?" Damon and Elena entered the living room.

"It's Caroline" he said and suddenly Elena's face frowned.

"Stefan what happened?" she cried and he looked at Bonnie asking her to start only with his glance.

"I did something, the day you died Elena, when you all almost died" she paused. "Klaus was saying the truth, he is the initiator of your bloodline. I wanted to save you"

"What did you do witch?" Damon's anger was taking control of him but Elena stopped it taking his hand into hers.

"I saved Klaus" she whispered but there were only vampires with her in the room, each of them heard every word clearly.

"You what?" Damon's anger was growing and if it wasn't for Elena's hand that kept holding him, he would have killed Bonnie for sure.

"The story is not over yet"

"Then your stupidity has no limits witchy" Damon was hiding her urges to kill that bitch under a thick layer of sarcasm.

"I moved Klaus' soul into another body to save him and I spelled his own to prevent its destruction"

"Where did you move Klaus' soul?" Elena asked.

"Tyler" Stefan said. His voice was trembling, his eyes full of fear.

"No you didn't. You can't.." Elena wasn't able to complete the sentence. Now was Damon's turn to hold Elena and she found the strength to speak "we need to find her and save her. Bonnie you have to do something!"

"I can't. If I let you know where they are, Klaus will kill us all, he was very clear about this one.

_Don't look for me and Caroline and you will be able to live your useless life as you wish but if you do, well just remember that I have a few other hybrids around Mystic Falls._

"I don't care about what he said, we need to save Caroline. Bonnie, she's your friend"

"I know"

And then the silence, you could feel Stefan's blood boiling in his veins but nothing happened: he just got up from the couch he was sitting on and walked out, slamming the door loudly. Elena exchanged a glance with Damon and then he followed Stefan outside.

* * *

It was night and the only sound coming from the woods was Stefan, that was destroying any tree or shrub that got in his way. Damon waited for his brother to calm down.

"You done?"

"Not yet" Stefan was angry like never before.

"You know, instead of destroying innocent trees you should channel your anger toward the witch" he didn't get an answer. "We'll find a way to save Caroline but we have to be careful Stefan, we can't put Elena in danger"

"You talking about being careful? _You_ among everyone?"

"Yeah I have to admit that I've been quite impulsive in the past but it was about Elena"

"And now it's Caroline" Stefan looked straight at Damon. His brother had already decided what to do and there was nothing he could do to change Stefan's mind.

"If you've already took your decision why you're so frustrated?"

"I'm going to put you all in danger if I go to save her but I owe her this, I have to, Damon"

"No, you don't. You _want _to"

"I'm the worst friend she could ever ask for. You know what she said before leaving? She said 'I'm sorry for had not been by your side when you needed me'. She was sorry because when my life was falling apart and I was losing everything, she wasn't there. But I understand, Caroline was dealing with a boyfriend tuned into a hybrid by Klaus and with his sired-bond issues but where was I when _her _life was falling apart, when she lost Tyler and her father, where was I? I was plotting to kill Klaus, I was setting out my revenge while she needed me. Caroline needed me and I wasn't there. I'm not going to make that mistake again"

Finally Stefan was able to set free all the feelings that were consuming his soul, he didn't feel better though.

"You should go to save her then" Damon smiled to his little brother. There were nobody that knew Stefan better than Damon but that spark in his eyes was something he had never seen before, never in 162 years.

* * *

**Stefan is going to save Caroline, or at least he's going to try but what impact his actions will have on his relationship with Elena and his friendship with Caroline? You're gonna find it soon (I hope).**

**ps: as always reviews are much appreciated :) **


	3. Chapter 3

Hi guys I'm back, let me say 'finally'. I've been way too busy to upload anything new and to be honest I just had the time to finish this chapter, that to be even more honest I don't really like. There are short and frequent flashbacks but the present SL doesn't evolve much, that's why I don't like it. Anyway I just hope you do.

* * *

"_I am a monster"_

It was almost past midnight but Stefan wasn't going to stop into a motel and have some rest, even though he needed to. He was driving for over 12 hours but he was still away from Los Angeles, where he hoped to find Caroline.

Bonnie had spent the last days trying every spell in her grimoire to locate their friend, they didn't get any result but Stefan didn't allow her to give up. He didn't leave Bonnie for a second and, even though Stefan wasn't really happy to spend his time with the person who had put Caroline in danger, she was his only hope to find his friend. And when both Bonnie and Elena had lost their optimism, a dream showed LA to the witch. There was no evidence that Stefan would have found Caroline in the great city but that was his only chance so he left Mystic Falls without thinking twice about it.

"_You shouldn't go alone. We're talking about Klaus after all, you need somebody who will have your back" Elena was worried. She knew that neither Damon or Stefan would have allowed her to go to LA to save Caroline but at least she hoped that Damon would have been by his brother's side. But Caroline wasn't the only one in danger, even Elena was. She was a vampire now, there wasn't anything that could protect her from Klaus: he didn't need her anymore to create more monsters and his hybrids could kill her with a bite. The Salvatores would have never left her knowing that she was in danger but Stefan needed to save his best friend and Damon needed to protect the woman he loved. There was anything to do but let Stefan leave alone._

"_I will be fine, you don't have to worry" he smiled gently "and you're gonna be fine too. Damon will protect you" he tried to keep his smile but he couldn't. The last time he left her, Elena felt in love with his brother, he didn't want to know what was going to happen this time. _

I'm gonna lose Elena but if I'm lucky, I will get Caroline back- Stefan thought, remembering his last words to Damon.

"_Promise me you will protect her, Damon"_

"_Well I won't be the one who kills her since you're the one who did that weeks ago" For Damon, Stefan was the one responsible of Elena's death and he didn't forgive his brother yet. But the thought of losing him for good made the older Salvatore put his sarcasm aside "I did protect her when you left Mystic Falls for the first time, I will protect her again"_

"_This scares me even more" Stefan looked at his brother, he got his allusion "I'm not saying that it's your fault, Damon. You're the one who kept her alive for all this time, you're the one who have never left her. I'm just saying that I will lose her"_

"_Then why you do it?"_

"_Do you remember what you said when we found out Caroline's location? You said that you wouldn't have come with me because you promised Elena not to leave her again. Well, I promised Caroline that I would have never let anything happen to her" he smiled at the sun "and I can live without Elena's love knowing that she's safe but I could never live happy knowing that Caroline is in danger"_

"This song is for all the people who are looking for something at the moment. Whatever it is, I wish you find it soon" The voice of the radio brought Stefan back to the road.

"I'm gonna find you Caroline" he said to the dark sky "I promise"

* * *

"So Caroline, what are our plans for tonight?" the man's voice was sweet and deep, like a whisper.

"_we _have no plans but you can do whatever you want" Caroline's voice wasn't sweet at all, she hated the man in front of her.

"Come on sweetheart we're in the big LA, we should have fun" the two faces came closer and Caroline's eyes were burning with hate for the person who ruined her life.

"Go to hell, Klaus" she said moving towards the big window.

"You used to be so loving with me, maybe because I was in Tyler's body?" Klaus laughed while Caroline shuddered at the name of Tyler. The memories that hunted her every night suddenly came back: Tyler was dead. When the week before Klaus got back to his body Tyler's was empty, motionless, dead. Klaus said that probably something went wrong during Bonnie's spell but Caroline didn't believe him.

"You killed him" Caroline never hated a human being so much in her life.

"No honey, I didn't. Bonnie did" a smirk appeared on his lips, Tyler was the only thing that was keeping him from taking the girl so having him out of the game was a good thing.

"Since you don't want to go out we should at least do some conversation to spend the time" smiling eyes were looking at the slight figure that was now lying on the cream bed, but she didn't answer.

"Come on sweetheart you can't be mad at me" he kidnapped her, pretended to be somebody he was not, took her from her friends and made her life a living hell, of course she was mad.

"I'm not mad at you, I hate you" the blue eyes were observing the figure in front of her and her voice was talking to the person inside the body.

"At least you didn't lose your sense of humor. Don't worry Caroline, lovers always fight but they make up eventually, usually with good sex" he was laughing.

"We're not lovers and just the idea to have sex with you make me wanna vomit" she meant it.

"Didn't you kiss and touch my previous body trembling in desire, didn't you whisper 'I love you Tyler' into my hear?"

"I did but you were not Tyler"

"I'm better" Klaus smiled in excitement.

"You're a monster" Caroline's voice was trembling because of the hate she was feeling.

"So are you"

"_I am a monster" the despair in her voice crushed into a crying, Caroline was touching her face, it was filthy of blood, her eyes red. Caroline was scared of her own figure. _

"_Caroline look at me, look, look" Stefan was grabbing her face, trying to calm her down. "Do you see that?" the face that was scaring Caroline was the same Stefan had in that moment, they were all monsters but somehow she wasn't scared anymore. _

"_When you feel the blood rushes in, you tell yourself that you're going to get through it, that you're strong enough" Stefan was teaching the first vampire lesson to Caroline, she had to be strong. The blond vampire filled with blood was shaking her head, she wasn't sure to be that strong. "Yes, no matter how good it feel, give yourself over to it, you fight it off. You bury it. That's the only way you're going to survive this thing" _

_Survive. From now on it won't be about 'living' anymore it would be about 'surviving' and Caroline wasn't ready for that. Her tears were streaming over her cheeks and Stefan took them away with a gentle touch. They were looking at each other, in Caroline's eyes there was only pain and fear. Stefan was feeling responsible for everything that happened to Caroline and looking at those blue eyes, by now deprive of the light that used to characterize her glance, he promised to himself to never leave Caroline's side._

"_I promise you, I will not let anything happen to you" Caroline nodded silently "come here" Stefan said in a low voice and he took her in his strong arms. Caroline felt safe, in that moment she thought that everything was going to be okay, that she was a monster but at least she had Stefan. _

"Stefan taught me that we're all monsters deep inside but you are a different kind of monster" this time Caroline didn't look at Klaus with those blue eyes full of hate, no her gaze was directed to the hybrid but her thoughts were for her friends. Elena, Bonnie, Matt, Damon and Stefan; Caroline was missing them all, yes even Damon. Wasn't hard for Klaus to figure out what Caroline was thinking about and he came out with an idea that shocked Caroline.

"This is the deal: you will go out with me tonight and all the times I ask you, in return you can call your friends every day" Klaus stopped for a second to enjoy the smile that appeared on Caroline's lips but it didn't last for long.

"Where's the catch, Klaus?"

"No catch sweetheart but of course there are some rules that you have to respect like not tell anyone where are you or that you're with me. It's better for your friends not to know that I'm still alive" Klaus' lips bended in a smirk so charming and so devilish at the same time.

Caroline knew what Klaus was referring to, when she found out who the person she was travelling with was, Caroline thought that she was screwed up. There was no way out: asking for help and trying to escape would have basically mean a sure death of her beloved ones; staying with the Original vampire would have mean living a sad eternity with the person she hated the most without the ones she loved. Both of her options sucked but the second allowed her friends to be safe. Caroline decided to be a good girl and do whatever Klaus asked her to do, she never stopped to hate him but she was reasonable enough to not make him angry so she had already accepted Klaus' rules.

"Do we have a deal?" Klaus' head was right over Caroline's, his eyes looking into hers.

A clear "yes" came out from Caroline's lips.

"Then you should get dressed, we're going out" Caroline rolled her eyes and she headed towards the bathroom to wear a blue t-shirt and put some make up on. The blond vampire was ready in a second.

"Simple dressed but stunning" Klaus voice came from the front door, he was ready to go.

"I need a drink" Caroline rolled her eyes again and the two of them went out to find out what the great Los Angeles could have offered.

* * *

This is where the real SL begins, let's jst hope that it will be good. For now what do you think? Do you have any advice or things you'd like to see happening? Tell me, I love reading your reviews.


	4. Chapter 4

Oh my.. It's been a while since the last upload of this fanfiction. I'm so sorry but I was so busy, plus I've started a new fanfiction ( A Fairytale for you) and I didn't have a second for this one. Anyway here's the 4th chapter. I don't know what I think about it, I mean I loved writing it but I'm not sure about the result. I just hope you like it. Let me know what you think about it.

* * *

"Where are you?" the sweet voice of Elena was coming from the phone, it seemed so far away from where he was.

"I just got to LA" in those 5 words there was all the hope Stefan was holding on to for the past two days. Stefan was always been the positive kind of person, he used to find the good in every situation but this time was different: there was anything left that could have killed Klaus and saving Caroline would have been just temporary. It wouldn't take long before they _all _got killed by the hands of Klaus. There was not hope for Stefan or anyone else but those green eyes were just focused to find the blue ones. He owned her that. He promised her to always protect her and that was exactly what he was trying to do.

"What is the plan, Superman?" the sarcastic voice of his brother brought Stefan back from his thoughts.

"I have none" Stefan was on speaker phone and his non-plan was clearly heard from both Damon and Elena. Damon rolled his eyes at the phone. His brother wasn't really a great plan maker, all of them had failed through the past year so maybe it was a good thing to not have an actual plan.

"Little advice: when you're looking for something the best thing to do is just looking around"

"Thank you Sherlock, problem is that LA is way too big to just 'looking around'. I have no time to waste so your little advice is pretty much useless" there was no sarcasm in his voice.

"Start from the bars, vampires love to drink and knowing Caroline they have to be beautiful and full of famous people" Stefan pictured Damon's smirk while he hear clearly Elena's soft laugh.

"This is actually a good idea and it looks like you don't have a better plan so.." Elena started, she stayed silent for a second because she didn't know what to expect from Stefan. He was different, she could feel his anxiety, he was scared, probably of the consequences that saving Caroline would have led to.

"Okay, we'll see what I'm managed to find out. I'll call you later in case I discover something" Stefan was about to hang on when Elena's voice stopped him.

"Stefan, be careful okay?"

"You should be careful too. We don't know how many hybrids Klaus has around Mystic Falls and if he finds out that I'm looking for him, you'll probably be his first target to push me back" Stefan was right on this one. Damon and Elena were the only people Stefan actually cared about. Well, there was another person but she was already in Klaus' hands so he couldn't do anything but finding her and, with some luck, saving her.

For how risky the situation was, Stefan knew that Elena was in good hands. Damon would protect her with his own life, doesn't matter what was the price, Damon would always put Elena first. This was the reason why he left. Because he failed to protect the people he loved: both Elena and Caroline. But Elena had her own savior, it was Damon that with his blood had avoided her death. In that moment he just wanted to be Caroline's savior. She was the one who needed to be saved the most, she was the really one in danger.

"We'll be careful" Elena reassured Stefan.

"I'll protect your girlfriend's ass, so you find Caroline and come home right after. Got it?" This was Damon's way to express his concern: sarcasm. A big amount of sarcasm and Stefan knew it.

"Got it" Stefan replied. And with that he hung the phone call.

He didn't say 'I love you' and neither did Elena, it wasn't fair for both of them, it didn't feel right. He had left her to save another girl, he left her again and even if it was for a good cause he couldn't help but feeling guilty. Other hand Elena couldn't say it either, she was in love with his brother and even if she promised herself to never tell Damon what her feelings were, they were a constant presence in her life. And so was Damon.

She wanted Stefan to come back soon with Caroline, she wanted to know they were both safe but most of all she didn't want to be alone with Damon. He scared her, he always did.

When Elena was alone with Damon she wasn't able to control her feelings. Damon was able to make her feel anything, rage, passion, love and she wasn't able to control them. With Stefan around everything was easier. Those emotions were still there but beside him she doesn't think to be allowed to feel them. Somehow Stefan was her harbor, her safe place while Damon was her ocean. But Elena was too scared of the storm to sail.

In that moment Elena noticed that she wasn't the only one worried about something, Damon was oddly quiet, his eyebrows furrowed. That was definitely not good.

"Do you think he's gonna make it?"

Damon was now looking at Elena, he needed a full minute before answering the question.

"Klaus won't kill him, at least not now, if that what you were asking me"

"You can't know this, Damon. There is no certainty when it comes to Klaus"

"True, but don't forget that Klaus and Stefan were friends back in the 20s" Damon said the word 'friends' with disgust, he wasn't a real fan of Klaus and he was definitely not a fan of the complicated bond Stefan and the hybrid used to share.

Elena was still confused about the reason and Damon tried to be more clear.

"Why do you think Caroline is still alive?" he asked.

"We don't know if she is" just the idea that her best friend could have been dead made Elena shake.

"But if she was, what would be the reason?" Damon crossed the distance between him and Elena to look into her eyes.

"Because Klaus is interested in Caroline?" she wasn't sure about the answer but when he nodded, Elena realized that Damon's assumption wasn't that wrong. But what did this have to do with Stefan?

"Same happens with my little brother: Klaus has a thing for Stefan" Damon was just joking, but when Elena's eyes went wide he realized that she didn't get his irony. "If I were you Elena, I'd be careful, Klaus will steal your precious boyfriend" She finally rolled her eyes. "Both of them will" She didn't roll her eyes at this, actually she didn't move at all. Deep inside she knew that Stefan and Caroline shared a strong bond: Stefan seemed to care about her deeply and so did her. However, the thought of those two together wasn't new in Elena's mind. When she was still human she thought about giving a try with Damon. At that time it didn't seem so wrong, she knew that Stefan was strong enough to get over it, maybe he would have found somebody else, somebody that would have loved him the way he deserved to. And the thought of Stefan and Caroline really crossed her mind and it didn't seem so bad. Friendship doesn't take long to become love, she and Damon were the proof of it.

"I was just kidding, nobody is going to take your Stefan" Damon's voice brought her back. The blue eyes were looking at her, waiting for her reaction.

"Actually Klaus had stolen Stefan before, I wouldn't be surprised if he would do that again" she was smiling but it was true. He was sure about his feelings for her but he wasn't really by her side, he hadn't been for the past months at least. First he left to protect Damon, now it was Caroline's turn and even if this made Stefan a good person, always willing to protect the people he loved, he was barely there to protect her.

"Elena" she turned her head at the voice just to find Damon right next to her, exactly where he's always been. And in that moment it felt right.

* * *

Stefan didn't say it out laud but his brother's plan wasn't so bad, problem is that he didn't know where to start. It was almost 4am, the early morning sky was still dark, Stefan had a few more hours to step in some bars. And that was what he decided to do. He was tired and hungry but he needed to use every minute, he wanted to find Caroline and he wanted to do that soon.

Stefan had been to Los Angeles decades before and things had changed. After he asked a passer-by the shortest way to reach the most famous places attended by the people of the night, he went there in high speed.

Damon and Caroline weren't really friends but he did know her. If there was a place where Caroline would have brought Tyler's body it would be definitely one full of famous people. She loved that kind of life.

In a couple of hours Stefan had entered every possible club, approached every possible barman hoping to discover something. He had repeated Caroline's description more than a hundred of times but nobody seemed to have seen her or 'Tyler'.

The thought that they weren't in LA crossed Stefan's mind more than once.

It was 6am, the sun was raising and Stefan was tired, tired and hungry. He needed a drink to calm his thirst. He had spent hours into bars and didn't take a single one, he was just focusing in finding something, anything that could have led him to Caroline. But it didn't go well and in that moment the green-eyed vampire just needed to drown his failures into a bottle of whisky.

Stefan found a small bar in a periphery street, it appeared quiet: exactly what he was looking for.

Since it was so early in the morning, there was just a few people. Some workers that were having breakfast before their shift, a man that was sleeping with his head on the table and an old man sited at the bar with a drink into his hand.

Stefan sat two chairs after him, asking for a glass of whisky. The girl didn't look surprise to serve alcohol at 6am and Stefan was really happy about it. He wasn't really in the mood for any judgmental looks.

When the drink got into his hands, Stefan just needed a second to knock down the alcohol and immediately asked for some more. The same happened three more times before Stefan decided to ask for the bottle.

"Rough night?" the low voice was coming from the old man. He wasn't looking at Stefan but at the drink in his hands.

"Rough century" The old man laughed at Stefan's answer but the vampire wasn't joking at all.

"You're not from here, are you?" the old man wanted to have a conversation with a tired and hungry vampire. That wasn't really smart but Stefan tried to be polite and answer his question.

"I'm from Mystic Falls, Atlanta" The old man's eyes went wide.

"That's such a change. Why are you here?" that question hit Stefan. Caroline's face appeared into his mind like a memory.

"I'm looking for someone" now was Stefan turn to look at his drink and avoid the stranger's eyes. He crossed the distance between him and Stefan and sat down on the chair next to the vampire.

"A girl?" it was a question but just apparently. He knew that when a young man like Stefan finds himself drowning in alcohol in the morning, it means there's a woman behind it.

"She's somewhere in Los Angeles with her boyfriend" Stefan made things easier for his friend "Actually, I'm not even sure if she's here"

"Why are you looking for her?" the man said, pouring other whisky into Stefan's glass.

"It's complicated" he cut him off. He wasn't really in the mood to make up an excuse.

"Do you love her?" this question hit Stefan more. It was unexpected and Stefan found himself unable to answer this one.

Caroline was his friend. He didn't like her at the beginning, she seemed to be too shallow, insistent and hyperactive, way too far from his personality. But when he started to date Elena, they actually got to know each other better. Caroline wasn't how he expected her to be and when she turned she became even more amazing. They grew closer and their friendship stronger. But his heart was Elena's, he had never questioned that before. And now a stranger asks him if he was in love with Caroline and he is notable to answer. What was happening to him?

"She's my friend" he came up with the most ridiculous excuse ever. The stranger glanced at him and laughed.

"I used to have a female friend too when I was younger. And when I crossed the country to find her I realized I was in love with her" Stefan gasped, he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't wake up in the morning and find that he was in love with Caroline. There was just Elena, he kept repeating to himself.

Even if that wasn't going to happen to Stefan, he was really interested into the old man's story.

"What happened next?" Stefan asked, handing him another drink "When you figured out your feelings"

"She was dead" the man paused "When I'd found her, she was dead" his face became a mask of pain. He didn't move or talk for a few minutes and Stefan had the time to figure out that that was the reason why he was drinking whisky at 6am. The same reason why he was drinking with him. Because didn't matter what kind of love Stefan felt for Caroline or how long would have took him to find her, the result would be the same. He would find her dead or worst. The imagine of Caroline's lifeless body was something that had hunted his nights for days.

"Don't do like me. Don't waste your time because you'll never get it back. I will never get her back. If you find her, don't ever let her go" the man finally looked at Stefan.

"I looked for her everywhere, I've asked for her in every bar. It was just useless" Stefan pointed out, hopeless.

"Not here" the girl at the other side of the bar interrupted. She had listened to the whole conversation, more interested in Stefan's story than in the man's one. She knew that story pretty well.

"Not to be rude or anything but this is not the kind of place she attends" Stefan told her.

"Not taken but you should give it a try" what other alternatives did he had?

"Her name is Caroline. Long blond hair, deep blue eyes, a bright smile that's able to light up your darkest day" Stefan stopped suddenly when the recognize the tone of adoration in his voice. "She's with a guy. Tall, dark eyes, black hair. Did you see them?"

"Caroline.." the old man echoed "I've heard somebody call a blond girl with that name. She was the most beautiful creature that ever entered this bar. But she didn't stay long, she didn't like the place and they went out" that was definitely something Caroline would have done and the hope Stefan had lost started to reemerge. It didn't take long before it got crushed again.

"I do remember her but the man she was with doesn't match with your description. He had light blue eyes and blond hair" the girl looked into Stefan's eyes to find disappointment.

"Then he can't be Tyler" he sighted.

"Tyler? The girl called him with a weird name, something like Klaus" the old man said and the girl nodded.

Stefan biggest fear became real all of a sudden: Klaus was back into his own body. When did it happen? How did it happen? He didn't know but things were worse than he thought.

The look in Stefan's eyes told the old man that something was wrong. "Are you okay, son?"

"Not really but at least I know that she's here" and that was the only positive aspect. There wasn't nothing else to do, though. They left the bar hours before, there was no point in looking for them and he was way too tired to do that. The only thing left was to pay and find a motel to rest.

Stefan greeted the strangers who had been very useful and when he was about to went out, the old man stopped him.

"What's your name, young man?" Stefan was confused about the question but answered it anyway.

"It's Stefan" the old man smiled at him.

"Then Stefan, I wish you to find your girl" Stefan nodded with a smile on his lips.

"I will find her" and he closed the door behind his back.


	5. Chapter 5

OMG I can't believe I'm actually updating and I'm sure the few poor souls that follow this fanfiction are not believing it either. Before my (I hope) not so boring chapter I feel like boring you with this note (maybe this way you will find the chapter more exciting than it actually is).

I'm so, so, so (add other 10 'so') sorry for the late update and with late I mean months late. I had so much studying to do, so many exams plus I've started to work on another fanfiction and I couldn't find the time for this one. Again, I'm sorry.

This chapter took long enough but I like it, I must say. It deals with Caroline, her feelings and it tells more about the 3 weeks that she has spent with Klaus. And since is a Steroline fanfiction there is some place for Stefan as well. In my plans, this chapter was supposed to be longer but I've decided to cut it in half because I really wanted you to read it soon.

I think you've waited long enough so here it is. Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

_"she wanted to be saved"_

_She was seated on the floor in a dark place she didn't recognize. The room smelled like pine and something metallic. When her hands touched the cold ground, she felt something sticky and thick under her palms. The moment she looked at them the redness of the blood hit her eyes. But it wasn't hers, she thought and when the blue eyes took a look of the room surrounding her, she became sure of it. The smell of blood now reached her noise, until then covered by the fresh perfume of pine, and she asked herself how that scent could have covered the one of blood because it was everywhere: on the floor, on the walls, on the bodies. Stefan, Elena, Bonnie, Matt, Damon and even Tyler. They were lying on the floor, motionless, dead. Her eyes were now filled with tears but they didn't miss to catch a thin figure in the background, when it came closer Caroline gasped in horror. Klaus was walking to her with a victory smile on his red lips, his hands stained with the blood of her friends. When the hybrid lowered and stretched his arm to touch her face, she stepped back. He smiled._

_"Don't be scared, love. I don't intend to mean you any harm" she opened her mouth to say that, after he had killed her friends, she found that hard to believe but no sound came out._

_"That" he said looking back at the bodies "is your punishment, for betraying me" Klaus' voice was low and sweet, like a poison. "I didn't kill your friends, Caroline. You did. You have their blood all over your hands"_

"Wake up, sweetheart" Caroline felt a soft hand shaking her shoulder and her eyes shut open. She found herself breathing frenetically even if, technically, vampires didn't need to breathe. When her blue orbs adjusted to the morning light, they caught Klaus' face placed very closed over hers. Too closed. She hold her breath, remembering her friends' dead bodies and Klaus' words but when she looked around she breathed out. She was in the room where she has spent the last few days: the king-sized bed, the big wooden cupboard and the white curtains looked so familiar to her that she relaxed, just a bit. The images of the bodies, the smell of their blood were still in her mind and made her quiver.

When Caroline looked back at Klaus, the hybrid had put some distance between them but he was still holding his smile. She had always found that smirk frustrating but for the first time it didn't irritate her; it was more appreciated than the one he had given her in her dream. It was just a nightmare but everything seemed so real that, at the only memory, her body shivered again.

"You look pale, love. Have you had a bad dream?" Klaus asked, getting on his feet. She shook her head.

"I'm a vampire, being pale is part of my charm"

"Then have some blood and cover those dark circles under your eyes before I get back. They don't suit you" he said, walking to the door.

"Said the one who is trying to win me over. I thought you were better at that considering your age" she could hear a low laugh coming out from Klaus' mouth and suddenly he came back and approached her bed.

"I have plenty of charming ways to seduce you, sweetheart. If you want to see my skills, you just need to ask" she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Since you got my boyfriend killed and you took me away from all my friends I'm pretty sure your skills are not that good. But again, why would you need them since there is no one willing to fight for me?" there was irony in her voice but her own phrase hurt her. There was really nobody who was going to fight for her. She was alone.

"That's not true, Caroline. I didn't kill Stefan, did I?" he smiled at her and there was something behind it. An allusion she didn't get.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, confused.

"I will answer that when I get back" his smile appeared again and she wondered if he was ever tired of acting like the evil prince charming. Because _that _was annoying.

"Get back from where?" she said, coming back from her thoughts. Klaus was already at the door when he turned back to face her.

"I got some business to take care of. It won't take long"

"Please take your time, a couple of hours alone don't sound so bad. Actually, I can't wait to get rid of you, watching TV, eating everything I want, do my nails. Sounds like Christmas" the sarcasm in Caroline's voice was evident but Klaus didn't say anything about it, he was used it by now.

"I trust you won't escape, Caroline"

"Why should I try to escape from a gigantic suite where a psycho hybrid is locking me up? It's so comfortable here" she mocked him and gave the vampire a big fake smile. Klaus rolled his eyes and closed the door behind his back. After a couple of seconds she heard Klaus shutting the front door as well and she was finally alone.

She hadn't lied to Klaus though. The place was very comfortable, after all he had chosen the best suite of this five-stars hotel. Klaus told her that The Ritz-Carlton Hotel was one of the best in Los Angeles and the few days spent in there proved him right. Their suite had two separate bedrooms (which had been Caroline's decision, she wanted to stay away from Klaus as much as she could), two bathrooms and a big living room with all the comforts. Everything was beautiful and high-tech; it would have looked like a paradise if she wasn't sharing it with the devil. Caroline's favorite place was the bathroom and specifically the huge bathtub, provided with all the bubble baths able to make her relax and right now she needed that more than anything. With a catlike jump she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. When the water started to run off and fill the bathtub, Caroline realized that that was the first time she was completely alone since she left Mystic Falls. Even when she thought she was with Tyler, her boyfriend never left her side. After a couple of days, she started to find that annoying but considering everything that happened it was just natural for Tyler to be overprotective and she let him be. It had taken just one week for Caroline to find out that he was the one from whom she needed to be protected.

Since the day after Elena died, Tyler started to act differently, sometimes he didn't even seem himself: the way he spoke, the way he moved. But after everything they had been through, Caroline didn't even notice his attitude, or at least she didn't notice it most of the time. And when she did, she just decided to not be bothered by it. Even when they left Mystic Falls and Tyler proposed to go to Paris she didn't question who they guy in front of her was. His plans had reminded her of what Klaus once said to her at the Maikaelson ball but taking his own girlfriend to Paris, the most romantic city in the world, was something Tyler would have done. People didn't know about his romantic side but she knew better. Things changed when after five perfect days in Paris, he wanted to visit another city.

_"Where do you want to go, love? Tokyo or Rome?"_ he told her with the most charming smile he had ever had on his lips. Tyler was hot and beautiful but not charming, that voice, that attitude weren't his. The references to Tokyo and Rome, the same cities where Klaus wanted to bring Caroline, helped the vampire in her suppositions.

Eventually she realized that Klaus did want to be discovered, he needed his body back so there was no point in playing with Caroline anymore.

They had left Paris immediately and headed to a small city in the middle of nowhere where they had spent another week waiting for Klaus to get his body back. At least they were in America but Caroline had no idea where exactly. Klaus never left her go out from the house he had chosen for their staying, which, of course, was controlled by a dozen of hybrids. Some of them used to spend some time in the house just to check up on her and again she couldn't really be alone. Since there was no way to escape, Caroline tried to get information from them but not even her most seductive smile helped. Caroline was completely unaware of what was happening. They only information came from Klaus: he told her that they were waiting for Bonnie to come and revert the spell she had done, that's why it took a full week for the hybrid to become himself again. Reverting the spell, he said, was more difficult than doing it in the first place.

While Caroline was relaxing in the bubbles, the day when Klaus came back home with his own body jumped in her mind and hurt her like a stake in her heart.

_"Where is Tyler?"_ was the only thing she asked, the only thing that actually mattered. Klaus didn't even try to be sorry when he told her that her boyfriend was dead. Even if he kept saying that it was an accident, that something just went wrong during Bonnie's spell she didn't believe him. She knew he had killed Tyler but he would have never admitted it and she was too broken to keep fighting.

She missed Tyler every day, and every day the pain was deeper and more intense but Caroline tried her best not to show it. She didn't want Klaus to see her weak, she couldn't be weak. But during the night, when she was alone in her bed, she couldn't stop her thoughts and mostly her tears. Most of the time she had forced herself to bury the pain because her sobs could have been heard by Klaus, other times she just didn't care.

Dealing with Tyler's death would have been much easier with the help of her friends but she was alone, completely alone. She hated it and, at the same time, she found relief in knowing that the last people she cared about were safe and Klaus-free. Yet she couldn't stop herself from hating the situation she got in, but there was nothing she could do. She made a deal with Klaus and the prize of her betraying would have been too high to even think about breaking their agreement.

_"You have their blood all over your hands"_ Klaus has said in her dream. For the billion time, the images of the dead bodies came into her mind. She couldn't bear the thought of having their deaths on her conscience because the weight of Tyler's was already too heavy.

Stefan, Elena, Bonnie, Matt, Damon. She didn't like Damon, his death wouldn't really bother her but he was important for somebody else, like Stefan.

Stefan. His body was the first that Caroline had seen in her nightmare, the first she recognized. Probably the first that died, because of her. She knew he was worried about her, perhaps more than anyone. After she had found out the truth about Klaus and he locked her up for a whole week in a house, waiting to get his own body back, she had received a lot of calls (which, of course, she couldn't answer) and the most part were from Stefan. Sometimes Elena's number appeared on the display too but not often. Bonnie's never did but Caroline already knew why.

She was sure Stefan had kept calling her even during the following week but she hadn't any proof since Klaus had taken her phone.

_"Let me guess, it's Stefan isn't it?"_ he had said after her phone rang for the third time in 10 minutes._ "That guy is worse than a jealous boyfriend and the fact is that he's not even yours"_ he smiled, taking her phone, which she never got back. There was something in the hybrid's voice, something she linked to jealousy. But it was impossible. Why would he be jealous of Stefan when he had never been of Tyler? That wasn't the only odd thing she felt that day. What was even odder was the fact that his phrase hurt her, in a way it wasn't supposed to. In a way she didn't want to analize because deep down she knew where that pain was coming from. He wasn't her boyfriend, he wasn't hers. He wasn't supposed to leave the woman he loved to go and save her, his best friend. Stefan had saved her several times, she was sure the reason why she was still alive was because of Stefan. She wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for her best friend. But this time was different, this time he couldn't save her and she hated him for that and she hated herself more for thinking about it.

She had dreamed about Stefan, a lot. And every single time he was standing in front of her, with his kindest smile. "I'm taking you home" was his answer to her silent question. Every time she gave him her brightest smile and took his hand. In that precise moment everything was fine; she was with Stefan and she was happy. He'd come to save her, he was going to take her home. But then the morning light came in and so did the reality. She wasn't safe, Stefan wasn't there, she was alone. Deep down she wanted to be saved, she wanted Stefan to protect her as he has always done. She hated to admit it but she needed Stefan, she needed to know that somebody was looking for her, that he would have come even if that meant putting everyone in danger. She shouldn't be so selfish to actually hoping to be saved, but she was. That's why she always tried to not think about it, to leave her true feelings behind. She couldn't be saved because there was no way her friends would be able to defeat Klaus so, if they couldn't save her, she would save them. This is what Caroline Forbes promised to herself. To do her best to keep them safe and sound, no matter the cost. It was her way to love her friends and prove herself that she wasn't so selfish as she thought.

After 20 minutes of intense thinking in the bathtub, Caroline got out, wrapped herself in a towel and sat on her bed. On her bedside table there was the phone Klaus gave her the night before when they made the deal. It wasn't her phone, infact this one could be controlled by Klaus. Caroline didn't really understand how it worked, just that he would know how many calls she did and to whom. There was no way to play him but, after all, she didn't want to. Her hand moved instinctively and reached the mobile. The blond vampire played with it for a couple of minutes then, after a deep breath, her fingers composed Bonnie's number. She was the only one she could have called, she knew the truth and she had already agreed to keep the all story a secret under Klaus' threats.

"Hello?" the voice that came for the other side of the phone was low and it seemed very tired but it was Bonnie. She would have recognize her best friend's voice anywhere.

"Hey Bonnie, it's me" her voice, on the other hand, was trembling. Caroline didn't know what to expect from that call. She wanted to know if everyone was fine, how was her mother, if she was worried but the thought that something bad had happened crossed her mind and the phone almost fell from her hand. It was just a feeling but it was enough to make her worry.

"Oh my god, Caroline"

* * *

NOTE: I think that you need an explanation about something I wrote in this and in the previous chapters. According to the story Bonnie was the one that reversed the spell and helped Klaus to get back into his own body. But at the same time, Stefan was surprised to know that Klaus wasn't in Tyler's body anymore. So you're probably wondering: why didn't Bonnie tell him? Or is it just the author's mistake? Well it's not a mistake. It will be explained in the next chapter.

Your thoughts are always appreciated, especially if they can help to make the story better :P

I'll try to update soon, 1 or 2 weeks at the most.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi there, here's the 6th chapter of The Sound of Love. This chapter is more like the second part of ch. 5, that's why it only deals with Caroline's and Bonnie's phone call. I needed these last chapters to explain what's happening, that's why they don't really focus on Stefan and Caroline's relationship. Although that will change soon enough and in the last chapter (or maybe the following one) you'll get some interaction too.

Said that, a lot of people read the story but I didn't get a lot of feedbacks from the previous chapter so I'm not sure you enjoyed it. Anyway I hope you'll like this one.

Enjoy.

* * *

"_He cares about you"_

Bonnie's voice was two tones higher than usual and the surprise in her voice was heard by Caroline's vampire hearing perfectly. But there was something else: relief, Caroline thought. Maybe her friends weren't sure that she was still alive and, to be honest, she was surprise too. She knew that Klaus liked her but for how long? How long would it take before he'll get bored and decide to get rid of her? Probably not much longer. The thought of dying scared her, of course it did, but at the same time the thought of living forever with Klaus made her possible future death a nicer picture. She could never live forever with the person who killed the man she loved.

"Caroline are you still there?" her friend's voice was now lower but it was evident that she was worried. It had been so much since the last time Caroline's heard a familiar voice except the one of Klaus, which wasn't pleasant most of the time.

Caroline shook her head, remembering that she didn't have a lot of time. Her thoughts had to wait.

"Yes, I'm here" she said, almost scared of what would come next.

"I thought I would never hear you again" Bonnie suddenly stopped, she was probably trying not to tear up. A small smile appeared on Caroline's lips, it was always nice to know that somewhere somebody loved her. Even if it didn't change the situation.

"Sorry, I wasn't allowed to make phone calls until today"

"Care are you okay? Where are you?" she was not okay but this time it wasn't about her.

"Look, Bonnie I don't have much time. I just wanted to check you were all fine"

"If _we_ were fine? Caroline, you are God knows where with the most powerful supernatural creature that lives on this planet and you wanted to know if we are fine?" she was now yelling, the concern she was feeling for her friend made her voice trembling.

"Oh Jesus, Bonnie! Keep your voice low. What if somebody hears you? They can't know about Klaus, he will kill you if they do" Caroline was yelling too but she tried to yell in the lowest way possible. You never know if Klaus' hybrids where close enough to overhear their conversation. Klaus had told her that most of the pack was still near Mystic Falls, while he kept silent about the rest. It's was likely that Klaus' dogs where in LA too but they hadn't showed up since they got there.

"Speaking of.." the tension in Bonnie's voice lightened and she was much calmer now. "That might happen real soon" that statement shocked Caroline and she needed a couple of seconds to ask for explanations.

"What do you mean?"

"They know about Klaus" she was sure Bonnie was still talking but the only thing Caroline was able to hear was a background noise. Her mind was somewhere else. Back to the night when Klaus proposed her the deal. The rules where clear: her friends couldn't know that he was still alive and where she was. One rule was already broken after one day. She felt the terror rush in her veins and she hoped that Klaus couldn't hear her call because, otherwise, her friends were already dead. And it would be on her, like in the nightmare.

"Are you listening?" Bonnie stopped Caroline's flush of thoughts. The vampire needed to know how much they knew and try to fix the problem if it was possible.

"Who knows about Klaus?" her voice was steady but her body was shaking.

"Stefan, Elena and Damon. Caroline you need to tell me-" the blonde vampire stopped her friend with another question. There was no time to waste now.

"How did they found out?" there was a minute of silence before Bonnie talked again.

"I told them" she heard the guilt in her voice but that didn't stop Caroline for feeling a rush of anger pervading her body.

"You what? Are you out of your freaking mind?" why had Bonnie told them? She knew what consequences it would have led to. Caroline was trying so hard to protect her friends and Bonnie had just made her efforts useless.

"I didn't have a choice! You didn't pick up any calls for two weeks. The guys were worry, especially Stefan" there was a moment of silence or maybe she just didn't hear the following words because her mind stopped at the last one: Stefan. He was worried about her, that wasn't a surprise though. He was Stefan Salvatore, he worried about anything, especially his friends but hearing that he actually cared enough to be worried made her heart ached and jump at the same time. She missed him.

"..and he asked me to track you" the witch said. "I told him that there was no need, that you were probably enjoying your time with Tyler but he sensed that that I was hiding something. And you know how persuasive Stefan can be" Yes she did know that very well. What Stefan wants, Stefan gets. And when what he wanted was very important, his methods could be a little rough too.

"I'm sorry, you're right" there was no point in being mad at Bonnie. What was done, was done and now all they could do was trying to make things better for how hard as it was. "Maybe the situation is not as bad as it sounds. How much do they know?" Caroline asked with a calmer voice.

"That I made the spell and that the person inside Tyler's body is Klaus" Caroline didn't know how to react to that information. They didn't seem to know about Tyler and about the fact that Klaus was back in his body. Why didn't Bonnie tell them? They already knew that Klaus was alive so why keep this secret? Was it important? There was something she didn't know? Too many questions, too little time. Klaus could be back anytime now.

"You're saying that they don't know about Tyler?" just pronouncing his name provoked the strongest pain, a pain that she should be used to by now but that, deep down, she knew she never would.

"What do you mean, Caroline?" Bonnie seemed truly confused, like she didn't know anything about Tyler. That was odd, the vampire thought.

"Have you told them that Klaus is back into his body and-" Bonnie stopped her immediately, she was breathing frenetically.

"Wait.. Klaus is back into his body? When did it happen?" there was terror in each word she said. Bonnie was surprised to hear about Klaus even though she was the one who reversed the spell. The whole situation didn't make sense to Caroline. Maybe Klaus compelled Bonnie to forget to keep his secret safe but why not compelling her to forget that she had done the spell in the first place? She needed answers.

"One week ago but you know it, Bonnie you reversed the spell"

"I didn't!" the witch fired back.

"Maybe Klaus compelled you to forget, it's something he might do"

"I haven't left Mystic Falls, don't you think somebody would have noticed if I did? And how do you know I was the one who reversed the spell?" Bonnie asked.

Caroline mind jumped to the day when Klaus told her. They had just arrived at the house that would be her prison for a week and, surprisingly, Klaus wanted Caroline to know what was going on. On the flight back she was able to see that they were directed to Canada but she didn't know where. When they landed, a car was waiting and brought them to this little village. There was absolutely nothing, except a few houses and some shops. It took more than half an hour to reach their place and it was completely desolate. There wasn't anything or anyone for miles. Caroline had no idea what where Klaus' plans for her but she found out soon.

"Klaus told me" the sound that came out from her mouth was so low that she wasn't sure Bonnie heard what she had just said.

"And you trusted Klaus?" she definitely heard her.

"I'm not majored in witchcraft, Bonnie and when he said that the spell could be reversed just by the same witch who did it, I believed him" it was her time to feel guilty. She shouldn't have trusted Klaus, he was not the type to be trusted. Even if sometimes he seemed truly honest.

"He lied" Bonnie started. "The spell can be broken by another witch but it would take a lot of power and energy. The witch must be very powerful"

Caroline was lying on her bed, watching the celling while Bonnie's words reached her. Caroline stayed silent for a while and in her mind she asked herself if inform Bonnie, and consequently Elena and the gang, about Tyler was the right choice. Probably it wasn't but Tyler was their friend and they had a right to know.

"Bonnie, there is something you guys have to know about Tyler.." seconds passed and Bonnie didn't make a sound. She was waiting. "He's dead"

"Oh my.. no, no. It can't be" it wasn't hard to imagine tears streaming down Bonnie's face. She knew very well that it was painful but there was still hope. Since Klaus lied to her about the spell, it was possible that he lied about Tyler too.

"But I'm not completely sure about it"

"How can you not be sure, Caroline?"

"Klaus told me but maybe he lied again, right?" she wanted Bonnie to reassure her more than anything but that was not the time.

"Tell me _exactly_ what he told you"

Caroline needed a couple of seconds to recollect the memories of that day.

"He didn't say much, just that something went wrong when you- I mean they put Klaus back into his body. He talked about complications, and souls and energy" everything was confused. She wasn't really helping. "I was shocked and I didn't pay much attention to his words. But is it possible? Is it possible that something went wrong?"

"Yes" it's weird how three letters could crash all of your hopes. "As I told you, to broke a powerful spell like that one is not easy for a witch and mainly if it's not the same witch who did it. It's not easy to explain but when you 'exchange' there is a moment in which both souls are out of their bodies and these are empty. The spell allows you to take one soul at time and put it in the chosen body" Bonnie stopped for a moment, she probably knew that Caroline needed clarifications.

"I'm not exactly following you, Bonnie"

"It's possible that the witch that performed the spell ran out of energies and Tyler's soul couldn't find its way to his body" Caroline's hope raised again and it was clearly heard into her following words.

"So he's not really dead? We can get him his soul back if-"

"No" for the second time her hope vanished, her hands lost their strength and the phone almost fell off her grip. "A body can't survive more than a couple of minutes without a soul. Tyler's soul is probably lost" Bonnie said but there was just silence afterward. "I'm so sorry Caroline"

"It's okay, I already knew he was dead and I didn't have much hope anyway" she lied. It was not okay but that didn't change the fact that her boyfriend was dead. She had to be strong and at least protect the people who were still alive.

"Bonnie, they can't know I've called. Actually I wanted you to tell them that I was fine, that I was having a good time with Tyler and to not worry about me. Guess I'm late" she smiled at herself, a smile that didn't last long. "They can't look for me, if Klaus finds out he will kill all of you. Bonnie promise me you won't let them look for me" her voice broke. She knew that Elena and Bonnie would do anything to protect her but this time they had to let go. Deep down she wasn't sure they were able to and she was happy and scared about it at the same time.

"I can't" the silence fell again. Bonnie's short phrases were so powerful and scary sometimes, and she had to work on them. Especially because they weren't very explicative but that was soon resolved. "They are already looking for you. Well actually just Stefan but he's on his way" Stefan, always Stefan. He really was her savior, the one who would always come for her. Weirdly she felt safe, even if she wasn't, her faith in Stefan made her believe that everything could really work out fine. But she was lying to herself. Nothing was fine and Stefan couldn't save her, not without putting all her beloved ones in danger. And that was out of question.

"Well make him stop! That's completely insane, he can't scour the whole world" the fact that they didn't know where she was made Caroline feel better. They could keep looking but there was no chance to find them. Klaus was good at hiding, he had done that for thousand years.

"We know where you are and Stefan is already in LA, Caroline" one day and Klaus' two rules were already broken. How did they found out, was her silent question but it didn't need to be answered by Bonnie. The answer was pretty easy: Bonnie was one of the most powerful witch of this world, she was a Bennet. Her tracking spells must be pretty good.

"Are you trying to get killed because you're on the right path" she yelled at Bonnie. She didn't want to but the stress, the worry and let's face it she was Caroline Forbes, she yelled at anyone.

"We are trying to save you" she fired back.

"I know but you _can't. _And I'm not going to risk your lives for me. You have to trust me, Bonnie. I'll be fine but I need you to stop Stefan" he was probably the last one who should die for her.

"Do you think he's going to stop just because I tell him to? Then you really don't know Stefan" that last words hurt her more than they should have. She knew Stefan better than anyone else and that statement made her angry. Furious, to be honest.

"I know him. I know that he won't stop if you or even Damon ask him to but he will listen to Elena. He always does and since she's the one who asked him to save me, I'm sure he will stop" she knew that he was going after Klaus because of Elena, she was Elena's best friend after all. Ironically she was his best friend too but Stefan would never leave Elena or put her in danger if she wasn't the one who asked for it.

"Elena has no part in this story. She even asked him to stay until they had a plan, one that could actually work but he didn't listen. He doesn't care about what we say, Caroline. He cares about _you_"

Again Caroline didn't know if Bonnie was silent or it was just her who wasn't listening, probably the second because her mind was elsewhere. Stefan was coming for her and for a moment she pictured the Stefan of her dream, the one who was taking her home. But she couldn't let that happen, not if it meant put his life in danger. He had risked his life many and many times just to save hers and this time she would be his savior. She would not let anything happen to him, doesn't matter the cost. She owned him that.

In the flow of her thoughts, Caroline heard the front door opening: her time was over.

"Bonnie I have to go now. Don't tell Elena I've called and do what I told you" she was whispering and looking at her door, waiting for Klaus to step in. She couldn't be more specific with Bonnie because she knew Klaus was probably listening. "Bye, Bonnie" and she hang up the phone.

It didn't take long before Klaus appeared at the door, his charming smile on his lips.

"Still in bed, love?" he said, approaching her.

"You know, girls love to talk in bed" she gave him a fake smile, which Klaus found amusing.

"So you made your daily phone call. That means you own me some of your time" Caroline was irritated by his smirk but that wasn't the time to lose control.

"Like you haven't heard" she said, referring to the phone call.

"As I matter of fact, I haven't. I'm a gentleman, Caroline" Klaus walked to the window and opened it. The cool breeze reached her bare skin and made her shiver. "Even if you find that so hard to believe" he added.

"A gentleman wouldn't treat me like a prisoner, he would let me go home" he turned to face her. He was laughing.

"I didn't say I'm perfect. Speaking of, how is my favorite witch?"

"So you did hear" she teased.

"Just when you said goodbye. I was already at your door plus vampire hearing. It was hard not to catch your words, sweetheart" she rolled her eyes but she was glad he heard just the last part of their conversation. "You didn't answer. How are your friends?"

"Really happy to know that I'm okay. They were worried about me and Tyler, since we didn't call for weeks" she said looking straight into his eyes. She was trying to stay calm but she was sure her anger was visible through her blue eyes.

"That was clear after the 13 phone calls you received in one day" Klaus was still near the window, arm crossed.

"As I said, they were worried about us" he laughed softly.

"Not us, you" Klaus stopped for a second to enjoy Caroline's confused face. "Tyler's phone didn't have a lot of missed calls, just a couple from Elena. Stefan never called him" he approached the bed once again, his face over Caroline's. "Seems like the only truly worried about you is Stefan" he smiled, Caroline suddenly remembered the conversation they had in the morning about Stefan being the only one willing to fight for her. It seemed like Klaus knew something about Stefan that she ignored. Caroline had no idea where that conversation and even this one was leading to.

"And the point of that statement is?" she asked, really confused.

"Proving that your friends are not really worried about Tyler" Klaus was trying to irritate her and he was succeeding. She knew her friends cared about Tyler as much as they cared about her.

"You're right, they are no longer worried about Tyler. I've taken care of that" she spoke with a challenging voice.

"What do you mean? What did you tell them?" he seemed to enjoy the situation and that made Caroline's fury grow and grow. And then she spoke without thinking about the consequences.

"That Tyler is dead"

* * *

NOTE: What is gonna happen now? What consequences Caroline's words will lead to? Just wait..


	7. Chapter 7

Hola, a new update is coming but I have a couple of things to say before you start reading.

First, I'm weirdly pleased with this chapter and I truly hope you will be too (weirdly because my original idea was a bit different). I love it, part for how it turned out, part because Stefan is finally back. I missed writing his character. Second, even if this is not a Klaroline/Klefaroline story I figured that some Klaroline interactions are inevitable and I'm sure some of you won't mind.

A couple of notes about this chapter: the parts written in_ italic_ are obviously flashbacks and both the flashbacks and the present events described by Stefan and Caroline happen simultaneously. I tried to refer to the time in which everything happens to make that understandable but I thought it would be even better if I told you about it.

This is all I had to tell you. Enjoy and review :)

* * *

_"__She was all that mattered._"

Stefan closed his room's door and tried to be silent as he walked down the stairs. It wasn't an easy task since the building was very old and almost entirely made of wood. Every step made a creaking sound and it stopped just when the vampire reached the motel's hall. Calling it a hall wasn't exactly correct, though. It was a small, dark room that smelled like old wood and roses. There were two bordeaux armchairs on the left side of the room and right in front of them the reception, which was a simple and dark brown desk. The only thing that gave a touch of color at the room was the red roses' jar on the table. It wasn't a beautiful place but it was the first Stefan had found after he left the bar and since he just needed a room to get some sleep, the Pico Belvedere Motel seemed perfect.

It was almost midday but the building was silent, no one seemed to be around except for the receptionist, a small, blond-haired girl probably not older than twenty-five. The situation seemed normal to Stefan, Los Angeles was the kind of city you enjoy more at night than in the sunlight or at least that is what he did the first time he visited the city.

"Good morning" the girl said, with a joyful voice that the vampire found annoying. Stefan smiled at the receptionist – whose name was probably 'Melody' as the tally said – while handing her the key of his room. Without unnecessary words, Stefan took off, heading to the front door.

"Have a nice day, sir" Melody almost screamed at his back. Stefan, who was opening the door, stopped and turned to face her.

"I hope so" and he went out in the sunlight. He was really hoping that his day would turn into a good one because it didn't start in the best way.

_The phone was ringing. He didn't know what time it was but he knew who would be at the other side of the line. Stefan took his phone without actually opening his eyes and put it near his ear, waiting for Damon to start talking._

_"Don't tell me you're still sleeping" no, but he would have if he hadn't called him. He figured that it wasn't too late in the morning because he didn't feel rested even if, from Damon's words, looked like it was late afternoon. He didn't have much sleep the night before: when he found the motel and settled down in the room, it was already 5am and the thought of Caroline had kept the sleep away. He kept seeing her face every time he closed his eyes but in his mind, her lips weren't banded into a smile, they were screaming for help._

"_You there, brother?" Damon's voice brought his back from his thoughts. Before answering, Stefan checked the time: it was 11am. No wonder he was so tired but that didn't matter. Only Caroline mattered in that moment. _

_He was now seated on the bed and he could see the morning sky from the window. He was losing time. "What do you want Damon?" he said with an angry voice. Stefan didn't want to sound angry, not with his brother that had nothing to do with the terrible situation they were into, but he couldn't control himself._

"_Easy cowboy. I know you're stressed but drink a cup of tea and relax or you will say goodbye to your hair soon" Stressed. He wasn't stressed, he was angry and terrified. After years of training, they were emotions he used to control pretty well, but the voice of Caroline asking for help was making the task harder._

"_Stefan" his eyes flashed open when he heard her voice. It sounded like a memory of the past, he knew to whom it belonged but at the same time it was distant. He couldn't explain it, he had been away just for a couple of days and the voice of the woman he loved didn't sound familiar anymore. _

"_Elena" it was more like a whisper but he knew she heard it. She was a vampire now and that was one thing that he couldn't forget. _

"_Have you found Caroline?" her voice was trembling. She didn't ask how he was or if everything was okay, she just wanted to know about her best friend. He didn't blame her, not at all. In the past days he had barely thought about Elena either, his mind was occupied by Caroline and there was just a tiny place in the corner for anyone else . He felt terrible for that, he felt like he was cheating on Elena. He left her, he didn't even call to check on her and at the thought that Damon could be the one who held her at night, he didn't care. He left to save their best friend but that didn't make things better and at the same time that was the only excuse he had. _

"_I haven't" he took a deep breath "but I have news. One is good, the other is bad. Which one do you want me to start with?" there was silence for a moment, then Damon talked. He was on speakerphone then._

"_Cut the crap, Stefan. Just tell us what you've found" Stefan could hear Elena's voice on the background, saying Damon's name like a reprimand and he could picture her hand, casually touching Damon's arm or her brown eyes rolling at him. Maybe it bothered him a little but there was way more important things to think about and all of them were about his best friend. She was all that mattered._

"_The good news is that Caroline is in LA. People have seen her last night with a man but the problem is that it wasn't Tyler. She's with Klaus" _

"_That's not really a bad news, we already knew that she was with Klaus. I mean yes it's bad but not new" it was Elena who spoke and before Stefan could explain what happened, Damon did it first._

"_He means that Klaus is back into his body, don't you Stefan?" he knew that his brother was worried about how the situation evolved but he had spoken with a firm, emotionless voice._

"_Yes" before he could add more, Elena asked another question._

"_Are you sure it's them?" she, unlike Damon, was clearly worried._

"_Pretty sure. Some people have seen Caroline with Klaus in a bar near the motel I'm staying at. The descriptions matched" his voice was heavy. _

"_This story is getting worse. If Klaus was still in Tyler's body we could have asked the witch to do her mojo and droop him at the bottom of the ocean. But now that he's back.." _

"_Are you serious?" Elena yelled at Damon. "We wouldn't sacrifice Tyler to get rid of Klaus. This is not how it works, we're trying to save Caroline and Tyler, not just Caro" the realization hit Stefan, unexpectedly. He had never thought about it, because there wasn't anything to actually think about. He left Mystic Falls, he was putting everybody's life in danger to save Caroline. Tyler wasn't in the picture, at least not in his. He was Caroline's boyfriend, she loved him but he the thought of saving Tyler never crossed his mind. It wasn't like he didn't care about Tyler but he didn't even realize that the hybrid needed to be saved. He was just thinking about Caroline and doing that he forgot about the other person in danger. He used to be the full of guilt vampire that tries to make amends to his crimes saving innocent people. Now he looked more like Damon, the vampire that shows his heroic side just when the people he loves are in danger. Thinking about it there was nothing bad in saving the people you love but being a hero means saving everyone and he wasn't acting like one._

"_Wouldn't you sacrifice Tyler to get Caroline back?" Damon asked to Elena but it felt like the question was for him and the answer scared Stefan. He didn't need to think about it, he knew the answer the moment Damon finished to ask it. The guilt raised in his chest: he would sacrifice Tyler's life to get her back and the problem was that he would sacrifice all the lives he needed just to save her. He definitely wasn't a hero._

"_No" Elena said, firmly. _

"_Well you're lucky because we wouldn't need to" Stefan was confused and probably Elena was as well. "If Klaus was in Tyler's body, then Tyler was in Klaus'. We would have been able to get rid of Klaus and keep Tyler.. in a different body. Well I'm sure Blondie would have been okay with it" Damon grinned from the other side of the phone. He was right though, it was a good plan but it was too late. _

"_Doesn't matter what we could have done, we need to think it through and possibly do it quickly" Elena said. _

"_I've already thought it through" Stefan's voice was low but firm. "I'm going to find Caroline and make a deal with Klaus" this was his plan, it wasn't clever, it wasn't safe but it was all he could come up with. _

"_What kind of deal?" Elena asked. He needed a couple of seconds to answer because he didn't really know what to answer._

"_Caroline for whatever he asks" that was it. Whatever Klaus could ask to released Caroline, he would give it to him. No questions. _

"_Have you thought that maybe the most powerful son of a bitch of this planet doesn't want anything from us? Or what if what Klaus ask it too much of a price?" Damon was yelling, his self-control didn't last long but that wasn't a surprise. Damon's never been the rational type. _

_"Don't cross your bridges before you come to them, brother. I'll find Caroline, I'll try to have civil conversation with Klaus and then we deal with the consequences"_

"_This is not how it works, Stefan. You don't put yourself in danger and then after things go to shit you stop for a moment and think how to solve them" Damon was right again but that didn't change his mind. "When did you turn into the irrational type? That used to be my job, remember?"_

"_You're always irrational when something happens to Elena" he fired back. He was about to lose it. "Why would I act differently when Caroline is in danger because we were too blind to not see what was right in front of us?" he was furious. He was supposed to be the rational brother, the one who makes the right decisions when people freak out but he couldn't. She was his best friend and she meant a lot to him. _

_Then he realized. Damon and Elena weren't talking, there was silence for a while and he knew why. He just compared Damon's love for Elena to his affection for Caroline. He didn't sound like a person worried for his best friend and he didn't know what to do. The guilt came back, stronger than ever and in that moment he wanted to explain himself, say to Elena that he loved her, that he wasn't in love with Caroline but he didn't know if it was true. Everything was happening so fast, he was confused and.. it didn't matter in that moment. He couldn't think about it now._

"_It's okay" it was Elena who broke the silence. "You need to save her, Stefan. Doesn't matter what will cost, just bring her back okay?" her voice was sweet. Kind, caring Elena. She had the biggest heart of all even if she was a vampire now. He felt better for a moment, it wasn't okay but they would find the time to talk about it –whatever this feeling was– when he'd get home. _

"_I still think this is a crappy plan" Damon pointed out._

"_I still don't care" Stefan fired back. "I'm going to scour every alley of LA and find Caroline"_

"_No you are not" it wasn't Damon's voice nor Elena's but it was a familiar one. He didn't recognize it at first but when Damon spoke he asked himself how he couldn't identify it before. It was Bonnie._

"_Witchy. Why did your broomstick brought you here?" _

"_I have news from Caroline" they froze. At least Stefan did. His green eyes went wide, he wanted to ask Bonnie if Caroline was okay but no sound came out from his dry mouth. _

"_What do you mean, Bonnie?" Elena finally asked, confused._

"_Caroline just called me. I came here as soon as possible. You need to listen to me" Bonnie said and she stared to tell them her conversation with Caroline. Stefan didn't move a single finger during the whole speech. _

_Bonnie added some of her comments as well, which weren't shared by Stefan. Bonnie thought that, even if they were worried about Caroline, they had to let her make her own decision and respect it. She even came up with the stupid idea that, as odd as it sounded, Caroline was actually safe with Klaus because he was in love with her. He was, they all knew that but she wasn't safe. That was another thing they all knew, including Bonnie. The witch just wanted them to stop looking for Caroline but that wasn't going to happen, not when the only reason why Caroline was safe was that Klaus loved her. Stefan thought that she couldn't have found a worse reason even if she tried harder but he didn't say. He didn't say anything at all, he just listened. _

"_She wants you to stop looking for her" Bonnie said at last. She didn't mention Stefan but of course the phrase was directed to him. He was the only one who needed to be stopped in that moment._

"_She is with Klaus and I don't care if he's in love with her, he is dangerous. I'm not going to leave her with him" his anger exuded from his voice._

"_She doesn't want to be saved, Stefan!" Bonnie wanted to sound firm but her voice broke saying his name. She was worried about her too but unlike him, Bonnie wanted to respect Caroline's choice. _

"_I don't care" he articulated each word, so all of them could hear them. He was going to save Caroline even if he'd turn into the bad, selfish guy. He didn't care. He made a promise to a scared, fragile blond girl and he was intentioned to keep it._

"_Stefan.." it was Elena again. What was she going to say: to go on or to go back? He would never know because he hanged up the phone before other words could come out from Elena's mouth. _

It didn't fit and she was happy about it. Well, not at first.. When she tried to close the zip at the side of the dress and she failed an angry and frustrated sound came out from her lips. She was a girl after all and every girl hates when a dress doesn't fit. Even if they hate the dress. But Caroline didn't hate the dress, she hated the person who picked that up for her. It was a dark blue dress, with some silver on the corset and it really reminded her of the dress Klaus gave her for the Mikaelson party. She wasn't very surprised when the Original handed her this one: same guy, same taste. She wanted something different but he asked her gently to try it on and that wasn't the right time to make Klaus angry so she did and it didn't fit.

"Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not skinny enough for this dress" Caroline said, with just her head out of the cabin. Klaus was seated on a black chair in front of her and, oddly enough, he didn't seem annoyed, rather excited.

"You're perfect, love. If the dress doesn't fit, it means it's not made for you"

She didn't know what to say. That was exactly what every girl wants to hear after that kind of disappointment. But what really hit Caroline was the fact that he didn't say it with his charming smile, he didn't want to seduce her. He said it because he meant it and for the first time she genuinely smiled.

"Thank you. But maybe you should stop picking up dresses for me" there was no irony in her voice, nor any sort of hate. Klaus smiled back, probably remembering the first time he'd chosen a dress for her.

"Fine. You can try that dress you said you liked"

"Would you lend it to me? I'm half naked in here"

"Well, I don't mind" there it was, his charming, annoying smirk. Caroline couldn't help but rolling his eyes.

"Well I do" she told the Original and without arguing any longer, Klaus stood up and disappeared between the beautiful dresses of that mall. Yes, they were in a mall, a beautiful building, with big glass windows and colorful shops. Klaus had told her it was one of the biggest malls in LA and it only sells the most beautiful designer clothes. They were shopping for that night's party and, according to Klaus, they were in the perfect place.

Waiting for Klaus, Caroline thought that things change so rapidly that we're not able to process them most of the time. Like that day: one hour before she had told Klaus that her friends knew about Tyler, and consequently him, and now they were shopping. How did that happen?

"_What did you say?" his voice was low but hard, he didn't seem mad though. Shocked was the right definition in that moment. After all she just confessed that her friends knew that Tyler was dead, which broke one of the two rules Klaus had imposed. 'I'm screwed' she thought. _

"_What did you just say, Caroline?" his tone was now harder, his eyes flashing with rage. Now he was starting to get mad. She'd done a big mistake, the kind that was going to afflict her life and her friends'. She wasn't thinking in that moment, her mind was controlled by anger and her mouth moved by itself. No that wasn't a mistake, that was a suicide. And she had to make it right or at least try, more for the people she loved than for herself._

_Some time passed before Klaus asked her the same question again, she didn't know what to do and the only sound that came out from her mouth was a laugh. _

"_You should see your face, Klaus" he frowned in confusion as she kept laughing. It broke at some point because she was terrorized. Make the whole situation look like a joke was the only thing that she could think about in that moment and she was just hoping that Klaus would buy it._

"_It was a joke" she explained, looking at Klaus' confused expression. "I mean, why would I tell Bonnie something she already knows? She's the one who made the spell after all" maybe it wasn't the best way to get out from that situation but it seemed to be working. Her reason fitted so she was just waiting for Klaus' reaction, which didn't take long._

_Klaus reached Caroline, their faces were just a couple of inches away from each other. He was firmly looking at her as he spoke the following words with a grave voice._

"_Are you lying to me, sweetheart? Because I don't like when people play with me" _

"_Why should I lie to you, Klaus?" she didn't put some distance between them, she was standing still, facing the big bad hybrid with a challenging expression. Because that was the only way to make him believe her: showing him that she was strong and self-confident. "I'm not stupid. I know that you could kill all the people I love just snapping your fingers. Do you think I want it? I even asked Bonnie to lie to Elena and tell her that everything is okay" she paused to take a deep breath and to move near the living room's window "I know my place so I'd like you to not question my actions. And since we're going to be together for a long time I'd like some of your trust as well" _

_When she turned to face Klaus she noticed that he was still looking at her, with a questioning yet interested look in his eyes. She could also see that he believed her but the conversation wasn't over._

"_Trust" he laughed softly. " You don't trust me but you want me to trust you?" he asked, ironically. Caroline nodded without adding anything. " You have to give it to get it" he smiled at her._

"_Exactly" she smiled back. If Klaus wanted her trust, he needed to trust her first and she knew he would. Because that was his only chance to gain her respect. _

_Klaus stayed silent for minute, just looking at Caroline; then he crossed his arms and spoke._

"_I'll trust you on this one, love but don't take advantage of it because I don't like being fooled" that sounded more like a threat than a peace offering but it was the most she could ask from Klaus._

"_You don't like a lot of things" she said more to fill the silence than to keep up the conversation. _

"_Not true. I don't like people but I do love a lot of things. Like parties" _

"_Parties?" Caroline asked surprised._

"_Yes and we're attending one tonight" he casually said, sitting on the couch. Caroline was looking at him, with a questioning expression and when she made clear that she wasn't going to speak, Klaus did. "And since you acknowledged that we're going to spend a lot of time together why don't you try to enjoy it, Caroline? You might find yourself loving to be in my company" she doubted but she didn't say anything ironic or mean, she didn't even rolled her eyes at his charming smirk. This wasn't the time to show how much she hated Klaus, not when he had hers and her friends' life in his hands. This was the time to be nice to him or at least try, to pretend to fall for his tricks, to like him. _

"_Well.." she began with a seductive voice "It all depends on how cool this party is" Klaus eyes widened, he wasn't expecting this reaction from Caroline and he was pleased about it._

"_It's hosted by Alexander Dìaz, one of the most ancient vampire in Los Angeles . And trust me, he knows how to throw a party. I can ask him to teach you a couple of things" he said, clearly teasing her. Caroline's instinct was to give him her most deadly look and say something very unkind but her reason stopped her. 'Be nice, Caroline' she repeated herself. 'He can't possibly mean it, you are the best when it comes to parties'. She calmly walked to Klaus and seated on the sofa next to him. _

"_You speak like you know him very well." She asked softly._

"_I do. We've known each other from a long time" his tone was nostalgic, and that's why Caroline assumed they were close._

"_So is this guy your friend?" the question seemed to take Klaus by surprise, which fade away the second after._

"_No" he said quickly "He's just one of the many vampire I didn't kill because they could be useful. Alexander is a very powerful business man, he's known and respected both in the human and in the supernatural world. I couldn't deprive myself from this great source" she couldn't help but rolling her blue eyes at his answer. It was the right time to open up to her and Klaus wasted it to prove to be a badass. Typical. _

"_A source, right. Because you don't have friends" _

"_I did" here there was again, his nostalgic tone but this time his voice was lower. It almost seemed like whatever memory he was remembering it was a precious one. For a moment Klaus looked human and Caroline wanted to know more. But pushing Klaus wasn't the right way to let him open up, if he wanted to he'd do it by himself. And he did. She was silently looking at him and he was willingly averting his gaze when he spoke._

"_You've met him.. my only friend" of course Caroline was confused, she'd met Klaus' only friend? That was impossible, there was no one in Mystic Falls that knew Klaus before he ruined their lives. No one but –"Stefan" she didn't want to say it out loud but the surprise was too much to control herself. Klaus finally faced her and nodded. _

"_I don't have friends because I don't trust people, I hardly trust the members of my own family. But Stefan was different, he didn't think my power was dangerous, rather extraordinary. I liked him and I gave him my trust and see where that has led us to" there was an angry expression on his face but his eyes gave up more than that: he was hurt and lonely. _

"_You came to Mystic Falls and you killed innocent people, you threatened the lives of the people Stefan loves, you used his girlfriend's blood to make hybrids. I know something about friendship and that's not the way friends act" Caroline gave him an hard look. She didn't want to upset him in any way but his words pictured Stefan like the one who betrayed him. She had to stand for Stefan, even knowing that Klaus wouldn't change his mind because that was what friends do. Truth be told, she also hated when people talked bad about Stefan because to her, there was no better or kinder person than him. He was her hero. And maybe he couldn't save her this time but that's how she pictured him in her dreams and nothing will ever change her._

"_Always protecting your Stefan, aren't you?" he grinned. Caroline was sick of Klaus' implications but she said nothing and averted her eyes in annoyance, knowing that the serious conversation was over. "You should have met him in the 20s, he was a real fun" _

"_He was a cold blooded monster that used to kill for pleasure" she almost yelled at Klaus. _

"_Precisely" he seemed to enjoy Caroline's horrid expression. "It would be nice to have the Ripper back. The three of us could have a lot of fun" Caroline gasped and her eyes widened for a moment. Did Klaus know that Stefan was looking for her (even if she hoped he'd stopped by now)? Was his just an act to get information? Klaus was able to put up a scene like that just to get what he wanted and possibly having some fun in the meantime so she had to be careful._

"_Don't you think it would be fun, Caroline?" he seductively asked, without really expecting an answer since he didn't even give her the time to speak. "But at the same time it'd had its cons. I would have to share you with Stefan, well actually share Stefan with you" he smirked "and I'm not a sharing person" _

"_Enough of this" Caroline stood up, annoyed by a conversation that was leading nowhere and was implying things she didn't even get. She needed to change the subject. "We have a party tonight, right? What kind of event is it? I need to be prepared if I want to make a good first impression" she smiled to see genuinely interested._

"_It's a charity event, hosted to demonstrate these people's wealth and power rather than their good hearts. There is going to be as much luxury as hypocrisy" _

"_Then I don't have a dress for this occasion" Caroline said, actually worried about it._

"_No problem, love. Let's go shopping"_

And there they were, shopping for a big event that would probably turn out boring and uneventful. Still Caroline found herself excited, she loved these kind of parties full of rich and famous people. She'd never been at one and, truth be told, she was quite looking forward to that night. Especially since she would get to wear the beautiful dress Klaus bought her. Klaus wasn't the best company in the world but since she was forced to be with him, why don't taking something good out of it?

"You're smiling" Klaus said, bringing her back on earth.

"Of course I am" she said with a high and joyful voice, "I've a 2000 dollars dress in my hands, that is quite a good sensation" he laughed, as he reached the handle of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel's front door and kept it open to let her come in. Caroline, who was getting in the hotel, suddenly stopped because she had the strange feeling to be watched. Strange because it was completely out the blue, in fact, when she turned around to have a look there was nothing unusual, no one who was staring at her.

"Are you okay?" Klaus touched her shoulder, gently. She nodded and walked past him saying that everything was okay.

* * *

NOTE (WARNING, SPOILER FOR NEXT CHAPTER):You'll finally get Stefan/Caroline interactions from next chapter. The first was supposed to be in this one but the chapter turned out longer than I'd expected and I had to cut it. Hope you liked it and I'll try to update soon but with the exams coming I can't promise anything.


	8. Chapter 8

Yes this is an update. I don't even remember when the 7th chapter came out, it was so long ago. I'm so sorry you always have to wait so much but I have a busy life. I'm just glad you can finally read this chapter (which I really like). Writing about Stefan Salvatore and his feelings is always a joy.

Like always, this chapter was supposed to be a bit different and have more scenes but it turned out long enough so I've decided to take the sencond part for the next chapter. I'm actually happy about the result and I hope you will be too.

Enjoy and, please, excuse the mistakes you might come across.

* * *

_"your first choice"_

He was walking around the city, without a real destination, with no clues on where Caroline might be. His plan was the worst he'd ever had becausewalking the streets of LA or entering luxury hotels hoping to see her face wasn't a plan. Definitely not. It seemed one at first, though. Stefan knew Caroline and, even if he hated to admit it, he knew Klaus too. It wasn't hard to deduce that they were staying in a wonderful hotel, possibly one of the best of Los Angeles but that information wasn't enough. There were too many hotels in a city so big and despite that wasn't Stefan's first time in LA, he didn't really know the place. The only solution was to get in the hotels that seemed to match with Caroline or Klaus' taste and ask about them. Ask, meaning compelling the receptionists. But none of them appeared to have seen Caroline or Klaus, nor their descriptions or names helped in the research and he had just lost valuable time. Yeah, that turned out to be his worst plan ever. If the situation wasn't bad enough, Damon called him again, asking how the research was going and he didn't miss the chance to point out for the second time that his plan sucked.

"_Have you only called to tell me that I suck at making plans and protecting the people I love because the recent events made that clear enough" Stefan's voice was higher than usual but he wasn't yelling, he didn't want to drag attention even if the place where he was, wasn't very crowded. The blond vampire was resting on a bench in a small park. It was a nice, quiet place with high trees and even an old fountain. The only people around where mothers -or maybe they were babysitters- with kids and a couple of old men. But Stefan tried to be careful anyway. Klaus' hybrids could be anywhere and he definitely didn't want to have a close encounter with them. _

_"You hung up before our lovely chat was over and you've missed a couple of important things. I thought you needed to be filled in" _

_"Important things like what? Bonnie's annoying voice that keeps saying that I can't save my best friend because _she doesn't want to be saved_? Or maybe that you agree with her? Because honestly I don't care, Damon. You were on my side when I left, you told me to get her back and now you're backing off. Fine, your choice but I will not do that" not even a second passed before Damon could fire back. _

_"I'm not backing off, Stefan. I'm telling you that your plan is not gonna lead us anywhere, just maybe to our funeral. We have to think about what to do, together. You can't just take a decision that will affect all of us" _

_"Do you really think there is something we can actually do? That's Klaus, there is no way we can kill him. We tried, we failed. Now he's got Caroline and the only thing we can hope is that he feels charitable enough to set her free, which I find highly unlikely. But if that's our only chance to save Caroline I'll take it, even if it's gonna risk our safety" _

_"Do you hear yourself, Stefan? You're not just risking our safety, you're risking Elena's life. Do you at least care about that?" the Elena argument again, Stefan was starting to get tired of that. He knew that Elena was Damon's priority but using her to bring him back wasn't going to work. Stefan's priority was different from Damon's._

_"And don't you care about Caroline's?" it was the only answer Stefan could give to his brother. Hiding behind another question wasn't going to end the argument but, to be honest, nothing would end that argument. Stefan loved Elena, he'd do anything for her and saving Caroline was part of that. She asked Stefan to bring her best friend back no matter the cost and nothing could stop him from doing that._

_"No" Damon's answer wasn't a surprise, in fact Stefan's question was more a rhetorical question. He wasn't expecting a different answer but he still felt the rage raising. He knew that Damon didn't care about Caroline but he was expecting his brother to understand that he did. "I care about_ you_. It's not just about Elena. I can protect her or at least try to. But you, who's going to protect you if Klaus snaps? I'm not risking my brother's life to save Caroline"_

_"You can't do nothing to stop that" Stefan said in a calm voice and Damon's silence proved that he was right. Damon couldn't stop Stefan, that would imply going to Los Angeles and literally drag Stefan home. It wouldn't happen without leaving Elena and that was something Damon would never do, not even to save his own brother. And honestly Stefan was happy about it. At least there was somebody willing to put Elena first, because surely that wasn't his place. "You'd do the same, probably worse, if it was Elena and I'd let you. And you know why? Because even if I hate the fact that you love Elena more than anything else - including me-, I understand and accept that she's all your life. I'd probably burn the Earth down to help you. So I'm asking you to support me even if you hate it, because you're my brother and I need you on my side" While waiting for Damon's reaction, Stefan looked around. The small park was now desert. Stefan took that minute of silence to think about the first time he told Damon that he wanted to save Caroline. He was against Stefan's decision but Damon understood the situation; so why changing his mind now? Nothing had actually changed since the day he left, he still was without a plan and the dangers were still the same. Maybe Damon was just being a protective brother and that figure –Stefan thought- didn't suit him. _

_"Okay, not that I have another choice" Damon broke the silence. He wasn't happy but he'd finally given up. "But answer this first and do it honestly. Is Caroline worth risking Elena's life and, let's face it, yours and mine as well?" Stefan's answer came out immediately. _

_"Yes" no more words were needed. It wasn't like Caroline's life was more important that Damon's or Elena's. They were the only three people Stefan cared about and he'd do everything in his power to keep them safe. Even though that wasn't turning out very well. He didn't save Elena when it mattered, he let her drown to save Matt and somehow Caroline died because of him too. Katherine killed her just to give the Salvatores a message. It wasn't his fault that Caroline died but the guilt he was feeling wasn't something destinated to go away. Never. He couldn't protect the human lives of two people he loved so he promised himself to save their vampire lives. _

_When Damon sighed, Stefan knew that his brother had understood again. He hoped that this time was his final decision. _

_"I really hope she is because last time I checked my non-life was worth a lot" Damon's sarcastic comment made the tension drop. "Anyway that wasn't the reason why I called you" he spoke with a havy voice. Bad news were coming, Stefan could feel it. _

_"And what's that?" _

_"Tyler's dead. Bonnie said that something went wrong with the reversing spell, she didn't give us the details though" It would be a lie saying that the news didn't hit Stefan. He liked Tyler, they weren't close but they had common friends. When his mind worked out the information, Stefan's mind went to Caroline. Lately it was all about her. Tyler was her boyfriend, she loved him and now he was gone. Did she at least know that? _

_"Does Caroline know?" he asked his own question in the moment it flew out from his lips. Of course she knew. Bonnie had probably taken that information from Caroline._

_"She's the one who informed Bonnie" No wonder Caroline was trying to be the hero and protect her friends. When you lose the person you love the most you tend to not care about your life but try everything to save the one of the people you've left. He pictured her face and his stomach tightened. She was alone, crying over the dead body of the man she loved, with no one around to hold her hand and whispering that everything was going to be alright. He wanted to hold that hand. _

_"I have to go now" Stefan said and when he was about to hang up, his brother's voice stopped him._

_"Are you not going to ask how is Elena?" Stefan was surprised for a moment. Why would he ask about Elena? Maybe something happened to her? But the he understood. Tyler was Elena's friend, of course she was shocked. _

_"How is she?" there was an ashamed tone in his voice. The constant thought of Caroline was making him forget that there were other people around him, people who could suffer just like Caroline. The difference was that the blond vampire was completely alone in this. _

_"She's destroyed of course but she's gonna be fine. After all this is not the first loss she has to bear. She's with Bonnie and Matt, I figured they needed some time to process the situation" Stefan nodded, that was probably a good idea. _

_"Good. She's strong enough to handle this"_

_"She is" they were just two words and still they were able to express all the love and adoration Damon felt for Elena. It didn't bother Stefan, though. He was glad that Elena had someone like Damon to rely on, especially in a time like that. She needed a steady person in her life, someone that wasn't going to leave her, that would hold her at night and wipe her tears. The fact that he didn't feel to be the right person for that job hurt Stefan a bit._

_"Take care of her, brother" Stefan whispered and he meant it. "And Damon.. keep this conversation from Elena, okay?" _

_"Why? Elena would consider you a hero for not giving up on her best friend. But maybe I should take from myself the fact that you're not doing this out of heroism" Damon's voice was hard and sarcastic at the same time._

_"What do you mean?" Stefan asked, this time actually confused._

_"I mean that when you come back home -because you will- you'll need to figure out why you're willing to risk your girlfriend's life to save a friend. Because if I have to give up on the woman I love, I expect her to be your first choice" Damon was was now harder but Stefan didn't expect anything less from his brother. Damon's life was all about Elena and even though Elena chose Stefan, Damon was still looking out for her. He always would, because Elena was Damon's first and only choice. But she wasn't his. There had been times when she had, but also times when Stefan had to put other people first, like his brother and this time Caroline. He couldn't be totally sure that Elena would always come first, not when he promised to protect all the people he loved. And Elena wasn't the only one he loved but she was the one that Damon loved the most. He would always put her first but Stefan wouldn't be able to do that. He was in love with her but sometimes other bonds like friendship and brotherhood were as strong as love._

_"Then I'm not sure you should give up on her" he said, ending the call._

* * *

Stefan was walking, again he didn't know where he was or where he was heading to, his mind was occupied to think how to find Caroline. Obviously he couldn't call her since she was probably with Klaus and even if she wasn't, she'd never tell him her location. She didn't want to be saved, according to Bonnie and now he knew why. The witch could do another location spell, maybe it wouldn't work like last time but it was worth a try. As fast as that idea came into his mind, it left: Bonnie would never help Stefan in his research. She made pretty clear that she was on Caroline's side on this one. He didn't know what to do, he was lost and hopeless. Then he heard it, her voice. He knew it was her voice, it couldn't be anyone else's. It was a high, joyful voice but not annoying, rather enjoyable. His heart skipped a bit (metaphorically speaking since his heart was stopped) but he didn't turn his gaze to see where the voice was coming from. Because it couldn't come from anywhere but his head. It was normal for Stefan to see her face in ever blond girl on the street though it never happened with her voice. It was odd at first but maybe it was his subconscious that was telling him how much he needed Caroline back. Though Stefan didn't really need his subconscious to tell him how much he missed Caroline, he was well aware of that. He hated that feeling but it had become a constant presence in the past weeks.

Truth be told, the reason why he was sure the voice wasn't real was the joy in it: she seemed happy. It had to be a memory because there was no way Caroline could be happy, not considering the situation she got herself into, not with Tyler dead and mostly not with Klaus, but he soon realized how wrong he was.

"-that is quite a good sensation" random words reached him for the second time. And this time he had to turn his face to see where it was coming from, more out of curiosity than because he was hoping to see her. Within a fraction of second, Stefan turned around but there was no one behind him so his gaze moved to his right.

He did it. He'd found her. Actually, it was more correct saying that she had found him or maybe it was just coincidence, fate. And, even if Stefan Salvatore didn't believe in fate or destiny, that time he had to. Because he would have never found Caroline if he hadn't been in that exact place, in that exact moment. And he refused to believe it was just pure luck; he believed in luck even less than he believed in destiny. But there she was, at the other side of the street. Stefan caught Klaus' figure just because it was right next to Caroline, but his eyes were exclusively for her. He felt like the world stopped spinning around, everything was motionless, even the gentle wind. There was just her in that moment and she was beautiful, more than he's remembered. The sunlight made her eyes brighter and he could lose himself in that blue. Stefan felt the urge to go to her, take her slim body into his embrace, touch her golden hair and feel from himself that she was real because it didn't seem possible.

Even if the joy to see her made it hard, he needed to focus and analyze what was going on. He reached a tree at his left and hidden behind it to look without being noticed. Caroline was carrying a big, white bag and she was.. smiling. This took Stefan by surprise, he hadn't noticed before but her best friend had a smile on her lips and it wasn't forced or ironical, it was genuine. He wasn't just surprised, he was bothered. Seeing Caroline smiling with Klaus bothered Stefan more than it should have had but he let it go. That wasn't the right moment to ask himself why in hell Caroline seemed happy with Klaus and mostly why he was so upset about it.

Caroline and Klaus stopped in front of a hotel –the Ritz-Carlton Hotel- and Klaus, that seemed to never forget the good manners, opened the door for Caroline. Before getting in, the blond vampire turned around and looked in Stefan's direction, like she'd felt his presence. He kept looking at Caroline because he actually wanted her to feel him. She couldn't know that he was there, not yet but she needed to know that he wasn't giving up on her.

When Caroline turned her back on him and stepped inside the hotel, Stefan was sure that Caroline didn't see him, the tree was large enough to hid Stefan's figure completely.

He left a couple of minutes passing before he poked his head out of his hideout to take a look around him. His vampire sight could catch Klaus and Caroline's figures talk to somebody at the reception, he couldn't hear what they were saying and after a little time he couldn't see them anymore.

Stefan didn't need to hide any longer but he stayed behind the tree for a little while more, his back leaning to the cool cortex, his eyes closed and his mind in motion. What would be the next step? According to what he'd said to Damon, after finding Caroline, he would talk to Klaus and find a suitable deal to get her back and get rid of him for good. He knew it wasn't simple, rather impossible but it was the only way. On the other hand, he couldn't possibly show up at Klaus' door and say 'hey buddy I'm here for Caroline. Can you let her go and vanish from my sight for the next 3 billion years?'. That wasn't going to work, he need to speak with Caroline first. Find out what Klaus was up to -because he was always up to something- and then find a solution, in case there was one.

It wasn't going to be easy, though. Probably Klaus hardly left Caroline alone but it was also true that he couldn't keep her with himself all the time. Not Caroline. That girl loves his independence and even if she had to fight the most dangerous vampire still walking on Earth, she would get it. Furthermore, Klaus would give Caroline some privacy just because he was in love with her and that was a good start to gain her affection. The thought of Klaus being in love with his best friend made Stefan feel uncomfortable and it wasn't just because an image of Klaus caressing Caroline's cheek crossed his mind but because the hybrid's feelings were good and bad at the same time. Klaus was dangerous but his feelings were probably the reason why Caroline was treated well and she wasn't in danger, at least not yet. At the same time they were going to be the reason why Klaus wouldn't give up on Caroline.

Even if Stefan had tried to convince himself that his friendship with Klaus started just because he was the ripper and Klaus was a powerful vampire who could provide him even more pleasure in killing, even if Stefan used to repeat to himself that the ripper and Klaus had a lot in common but Stefan and Klaus had nothing, that wasn't true. They couldn't be friends, not now, but they did have something in common after all, something so valuable that neither of them would back off. And despite the awful situation, Stefan found it exciting for a moment: two friend, now enemies that fight for a woman. Classic. The vampire in him was excited, the human was scared to lose, Stefan was just ready to do anything to get her best friend back.

The excitement was soon gone and Stefan found himself crossing the street and reaching the Ritz-Carlton. He calmly entered the hotel, hoping to not being noticed but he was probably dressed too casual for that place and somehow almost all the eyes in the room where on him. The men, all dressed in expensive suits, were giving him a superiors look. While the women, after the surprise to see a young, poorly dressed man in that kind of place, started to be interested in what was under Stefan's t-short rather than the clothe itself. Despite the sun shining outside, the air was cool but vampires didn't feel cold so Stefan opted for a simple, white shirt that let the curves of his torso appeared under the fabric.

When Stefan approached the reception, a dark-skinned girl waved at him, politely. Her dark eyes were fixed on his, she needed a second to find the words to greet Stefan.

"Morning, sir. How can I help you?" Stefan smiled at her and moved his face closer to compel her.

"Answering my questions would be a good start" the girl –he didn't even bother to look at her tally to see her name- nodded, her gaze was now locked to Stefan's. "You were speaking to a man. He was with a woman, his name is Klaus Mikaelson. Do you recognize that name?"

"Yes" the girl answered "Mr. Mikaelson is a client of this hotel" her voice was empty and so were her eyes.

"What did he tell you?" the words came out from the girl's lips immediately, and she sounded like a machine. Stefan didn't like to compel people but sometimes it was the only way.

"He needs a limousine so he asked me to book one for tonight at 8:30" Stefan was surprised. Why Klaus required a ride for that night? What was he up to? Millions of these questions crossed his mind and at least the first needed an answer. But before that, Stefan turned his back to look if he was observed by somebody suspicious. If Klaus was there, his lapdogs weren't far so he had to be careful. That's why Stefan lowered his voice when he asked the question.

"Did he mentioned why?" the receptionist nodded automatically.

"Mr Mikaelson and Miss Forbes are attending the annual Diàz charity event, sir"

"A charity event? Klaus?" Stefan almost laughed at the irony of the situation but he tried to stay serious and asked the receptionist where the party was taking place. She answered that it would be hosted in the Diàz Mansion and, after that, she explained how to reach the place. Then the vampire encouraged her to go on, asking for more information.

"The event is not for anyone, only Mr Diàz's closest friends and most powerful businessmen of Los Angeles are invited. I've heard that the security is brutal, there is no way to enter if you haven't received an invitation"

"I'll find a way to get in" Stefan said, more to himself than to the girl. "That's all?" he asked, quickly. He already got the information he needed so the next step was getting out of that place as soon as possible. Being in the same building with Klaus wasn't safe or smart.

"That's all I know, sir"

"Thank you. Now forget everything I've asked you" and with that, Stefan turned and headed toward the exit, without noticing all the eyes that were still on him.

* * *

A charity event. Why was Klaus attending a _charity _event and why was he bringing Caroline with him? Whatever plan Klaus had in mind, Caroline had probably no part it in. It was likely that he just wanted a date for the party. After all Klaus was the most lonely person Stefan's ever known, that's why he hated to be alone. This was the best chance Stefan had to talk to Caroline. The party would be so crowded that finding Caroline and drag her somewhere peaceful where to talk wouldn't be too hard; and neither would be to get inside. The compulsion was really useful in these cases but even if Stefan could easily pass the security and take part to the party, there was something he couldn't avoid: buying a tux. He was very happy when the first he'd tried on, fitted. He wasn't in the mood to waste time over clothes.

"Are you alright in there, sir?" Stefan immediately came out from the dressing room and went in front of the big mirror in the middle of the room. It was a dark room, in a very old shop –or this is what the owner told Stefan. He liked the place, though. It was a small and cozy shop, so small that Stefan saw it by accident, when the previous costumer almost hit him opening the front door. When Stefan saw that it was selling tuxes and, at least from the outside, it didn't seem very expensive, the vampire decided that that was the right place. And it turned out he was right. The owner was an old, nice man who chose for Stefan the perfect dress.

"I think this one is perfect" he gave the old man a soft smile and the man nodded, looking at the reflection of Stefan in the mirror.

"It just needs a couple of adjustments" and saying so, the man took a pin from his pocket and began to work.

"Do you think it can be ready for tonight? I know it's late but I really need it"

"Don't worry, this man has magic hands" it was a voice he didn't recognize that spoke. Stefan turned his head to see who it was and before he could open his mouth to speak the man behind him did it first.

"Stefan Salvatore, you're the last person I thought I'd see in Los Angeles. How're you, mate?"

* * *

NOTE: Stefan has found his tux, now it's time for him to use it, maybe on the dance floor ;)

I'd love to know what do you think about the chapter and the story in general. It might help me to improve something. Please review or PM me :)

See you (hopefully) soon.


	9. Chapter 9

Hello people, here I am after months with a new update. I know, I always start my notes with 'I'm sorry it took me so much time' but this time you deserve a enormous 'I'm sorry'

I'M SORRY. After the 8th update I had already started this chapter and I was positive that I could have updated it in a couple of weeks but then my finale begun, my grandfather died and my inspiration was gone. I'm not sure it's back, I'll let you decide.

Said that, this chapter deal with a new character which I really hope you like because I really do. I'm sure (and hope) that you'll enjoy the last part more than the previous.

Okay my useless blabbing is done, go read and enjoy. As always, please tell me what you think :)

* * *

"S_he must be very special"_

The man, who had just spoken with an English accent, had a deep and calm voice but it wasn't cold, rather genuinely surprised and almost pleased. At first, Stefan thought it was a familiar voice and it suddenly reminded him of Elijah's. But when he turned around to look at the man, he didn't find himself facing the Original vampire; though the figure wasn't a stranger either. With the corner of the eye, Stefan caught the owner of the shop, who was making some adjustments to his trousers, standing up and waving at the man.

"Good afternoon, sir. I wasn't expecting you so early but your tux should be ready. Just let me check" he said politely and headed to a door that was probably leading to the back of the shop.

"Thank you, Vincenzo" the man said when Vincenzo had already entered the backroom. In the silence, grey-blue eyes met Stefan's. He could see that they were hiding a question, that didn't take long to be asked out loud.

"You didn't say a word since I came in. Is that because you're surprised to see me or because you don't remember me?" Stefan had a good memory, he never forgot anyone that for a reason or another had been part of his life. And the man in front of him, for how short, had been part of it.

"I remember every face that I've come across in the past century, plus it's not like yours has changed in the last 15 years" and it really hadn't. He still had that distinguishable pale incarnate and his golden-brown hair was just a little shorter than it was when they first met. More than one decade before, in London. When Stefan was still fighting with the darkest part of himself, still trying to deal with his nature, even after all that time from his transition, he met a newborn vampire that, like him, needed to find balance. '_Those who can't do, teach' _had once said Damon to him and he was right. Stefan wasn't the best at self-controlling but he was good at teaching. So he did. He helped another vampire dealing with his new, dark nature and it turned out into a success. The man in front of him, his first student, kind of reminded him of Caroline, they both learned fast. He was a great student, who truly wanted to learn and this made Stefan feel affection for the young man.

"I was hoping you'd say 'I always remember my friends' but you've never been quite the sentimental, have you?" he teased Stefan with a smirk. Stefan shaked his head in amusement and his body, tense till a moment before, relaxed while a smile made its way through Stefan's lips. He had never thought about him as a friend back then, he was too focused on his spiritual path to see the people around him but in that moment he and Caroline were probably the only people he could describe as friends. Though he was an old friend that he hadn't seen in almost 15 years. Caroline was a new friend that, in so little time, had already gained a big part of his heart. She was special, after all. Stefan tried to put Caroline aside for a moment and focus on the man on front of him.

"Guess I'm not but it's good to see you, Matthew" the vampire smiled at Stefan and he stepped forward to hold him in a greeting embrace. Stefan's eyes went wide while his arms, captured into Matthew's strong grip, stayed still along his hips: the blond vampire didn't expect such a warm gesture from a person he hadn't seen in such a long while. Matthew, on the contrary, was very sentimental and despite the surprise, Stefan was happy to know that the vampire still remembered him with affection.

Thankfully, the awkward embrace ended soon: Matthew's arms let go of Stefan after a few seconds and he put some distance in between them. Not just Stefan was feeling uncomfortable after the unusual greeting, Matthew's eyes could barely hold Stefan's gaze but, once again, he was the first who broke the silence.

"If it wasn't clear already, I'm very happy to see you" Matthew pointed out, with an embarrassed smirk and Stefan couldn't hide an amused smile but before he could talk, Vincenzo entered the room with a bag in his left hand.

"Mr. Blythe, this is your tux" he said, handing the bag to Matthew.

"Thank you, Vincenzo. Your work is always impeccable"

"Thank you, sir" the old man said and turned around to face Stefan. "Sir, I need you to get undressed so I can complete the remaining adjustments of your tux" Stefan nodded and headed to the dressing room.

"How long would that take?" Matthew asked, while Stefan was putting on his own clothes.

"One hour at the most" Vincenzo replied.

"Perfect, this way Mr. Salvatore and I will have some time to catch up" the vampire said to Vincenzo but looking at Stefan, who had just came out from the dressing room. "What do you think, Stefan?" Stefan gave his tux to Vincenzo, that started to work on it immediately. He didn't have time for old friends in that moment but he had to wait for the tux anyway before going to the party so he nodded with a smile.

"Sounds good to me" Matthew seemed satisfied of Stefan's answer. He approached the blond vampire e put his arm around his shoulder. Stefan wasn't comfortable with Matthew's gestures of affection but he didn't move and he just faked a smile.

"Do you still like coffee, mate?" he asked, driving Stefan out of the shop.

"If by liking you mean if coffee still helps me suppress my bloodlust then yes, I still like coffee" Matthew burst out laughing and Stefan couldn't help but joining him. Even if Matthew said that they were old friends, they weren't more than old acquaintances but in the few time spent with the English vampire, Stefan had started to know him. He was full of light and maybe due to his young age he tended to see the good in anything. This attitude and his contagious laugh made Stefan like Matthew from the very beginning.

..

"Here is your coffee" the waitress said toward Stefan and she placed a white, steaming cup in front of him. Then she faced Matthew, a flirty smile on her lips. "And this is your tea. If you need anything else, call me" and then she was gone. Stefan caught the girl turning around to give another look at Matthew. He had to admit that his friend was charming: young, with a self-confident attitude and a gray suit that stood out his eyes. So when they entered the café, he wasn't surprised to notice that all the eyes of the shop were on him.

The café -which was just a couple of minutes away from _Vincenzo's- _was crowded but luckily the two vampires had found a small table in the corner of the room, that was secluded from the rest. Stefan didn't want to catch attention, not when he was in a city he wasn't supposed to, looking for his friend who had been kidnapped by a powerful hybrid. Besides, Klaus' hybrids were probably in Los Angeles as well and the last thing he needed was for Klaus to know he was in the city. Right now, that was the only advantage he had on the Original.

"So, Stefan where have you been?" Matthew, as always, started the conversation. It took a couple of seconds for Stefan to answer because after he left Matthew in London, he'd been in a lot of places. Starting with the northern France, then he moved to Italy and after a peaceful stay in Florence, Stefan decided that it was time to go back home.

"Mystic Falls" said Stefan, skipping the details that, for him, seemed irrelevant.

"Mystic Falls?" Matthew asked, surprised.

"My hometown. If I recall well, I've mentioned it to you once"

"Yes you have but you also said that your home is not a place you'd like to go back to. You said it was full of memories you wanted to forget-"

"But I can't and at some point you have to face your demons" Stefan's eyes rested on Matthew's and there he didn't find pity - like he was used to- but understanding. "You have a good memory, Matt" Stefan added to fill the silence. Matthew put down the cup of tea he was drinking and looked at Stefan with surprise. He wasn't used to be called by his nickname, especially not by Stefan that had always being quite cold toward him. He was very fond of Stefan but the blond vampire, on the contrary, rarely showed any affection. But Matthew had never taken it personally; when Stefan and Matthew met for the first time, Stefan was in a dark place and making friends was probably the least of his problems. Though, the fact that he willingly decided to help a new born vampire allowed Stefan to enter in the graces of the Englishman.

"I do, but it's not like you gave me a lot of things to remember" Matt smirked, enjoying Stefan's face that was now wearing a mask of guilt. "We were in Trafalgar Square, surrounded by dozens of people and you told me that you don't like big cities because they're full of potential meals" Matthew broke his narration to laugh at his old memories and Stefan couldn't help but joining him. "I guess a lot of things have changed since then. I mean, you prefer small, countryside towns, and yet here you are in Los Angeles"

"Nothing has changed on that front. I'm not planning to stay, I'm here just for.. a brief visit"

"Then what brought you here?" Stefan looked around to make sure he didn't recognize any hybrids in the café before answering.

"I'm meeting someone" Stefan tried to be vague but deep down he knew that wasn't going to work. Not when the person making questions was Matthew: one of the most curious people he's even known so he tried to move the subject on him, before he could ask another question.

"What about you? Why did you leave your beloved London?" Matt smiled wildly, pleased that Stefan had finally asked him a personal question. That rarely happened even when they were in London. Matthew was the one who asked questions and used Stefan's answers to add some personal information.

"It was time for a change" the vampire begun, "I needed to start a new life in a new place and somehow I came here" Matthew stopped and when he saw that Stefan had nothing to add, he continued. "Do you remember when you told me that the best way to feel human is to act like one?" Stefan nodded, proud that he still remembered his advice and aware that it wasn't a good one. "I've followed it. I got a job like a normal person and now I'm the right hand of the CEO of a big company" Matthew smirked, enjoying the impress expression on Stefan's face.

"You seem truly happy, which is a big deal for a vampire" Stefan lowered his voice while pronouncing the last word: they were in a public place after all.

"I'm pleased with what I have. This is not my circle but I got used to the fancy things quite soon"

"So you're one of the big guys now" Stefan sniggered.

"I am. I make a lot of money, I drive fancy cars- or rather people drive them for me- and I go to parties with beautiful women. And speaking of parties, I'm attending one tonight, that's why I've ordered a new tuxedo" Stefan's eyes went wide for a moment. LA was a big city, what were the chances that Matthew was talking about the charity event? Before the blond vampire could open his mouth to investigate more about this party, Matthew's words stopped him. "I guess you have nice plans too, for tonight. Do they have something to do with that someone you're here to visit?" The young Salvatore didn't want to give him too much information, for Matt's safety and his own but, at that point, he couldn't avoid the question.

"Actually yes" Stefan answered, hoping that the subject would fall. It didn't.

"It must be an important meeting if it requires a tux" Matthew brought his tea to his lips and eyed Stefan to push him to keep talking. Stefan could have come up with a credible lie but he didn't want to. Saying the truth (at least part of it) would have been easier and he was Matthew, he trusted him. Besides, maybe something good would come out of there.

"I'm attending a party tonight as well where I'm supposed to meet someone" after a second he added "The Alexander Diàz's Charity Event" and before Stefan could ask his friend if he had ever heard of it, Matthew's eyes went wide and almost spilled his tea all over the table.

"How- how do you know Alexander?" Matt asked, cleaning his mouth with a napkin.

"Why do you assume I know him?" and he immediately regretted his question.

"Well there are just three kind of people that are allowed to take part to Mr. Diàz's events: the CEOs of his companies, some respectable employees and his friends. You don't work for Mr. Diàz so you must be a friend. Though you don't seem the type he would hang out with, I see some similarities between you two" Matthew winked at him. Stefan felt like he was supposed to know what was hidden behind that wink but obviously he didn't.

"You speak like you know a lot about him. How come?"

"He's one of the most powerful men in LA, he owns half of the companies of the city and he happens to be the oldest vampire around here. If that wasn't enough, I work for him" Stefan didn't really catch the last words, his mind was still hang up on the word 'vampire'.

"Wait, vampire?" the surprise in Stefan's eyes and voice was obvious but so was Matthew's.

"Wait, you don't know he's a vampire?" Stefan shocked his head, unable to speak. After a minute of silence and confusion, Matthew started to talk again, trying to clarify the whole situation.

"How much do you know about Alexander Diàz?" at this point, there was no reason to lie to Matthew. He knew Alexander and he would tell he was lying so he decided to come clean.

"I've never seen or heard about this guy in my life. Well not until today"

"So how did you exactly get the invitation for the Charity Event?"

"I didn't"

"Okay, let me change the question. How do you exactly plan to get into the Charity Event? Because the annual Diàz events are strictly reserved and there is no way you can take part of them without an invitation" Stefan was about to tell his friend about his 'compulsion plan' but Matthew proved once again to know Stefan more than he thought. "And you can't use compulsion since the big guys outside are vampires. Alexander doesn't like intrudes in his fancy galas"

"Fine, then I'll just kill them" Stefan sounded like a person who couldn't have apple pie so he opted for a chocolate cake and Matthew's face turned into a mask of incredulity. He probably thought that the person in front of him wasn't the Stefan he used to know. That Stefan wouldn't even think about killing innocents -if any vampire could be called that- for whatever reason he had. And he was right, Stefan had changed. She would think twice before taking anyone's life but now it didn't matter.

"Why do you want to get in so much? And don't tell me because you like parties, I know you. You hate parties or anything remotely fun. So there must be a reason and I hope it's a good one" Matt crossed his arms, waiting for Stefan to finally tell him the truth.

"I really am here to see someone. Klaus," he started, not sure if he was doing the right thing. "He's an Original vampire and-"

"An Original? You really know how to make stories interesting" Matt sounded offended. He probably thought that Stefan was still lying to him.

"You wanted the truth, Matthew? This is the truth" Stefan's voice was cold as ice and Matthew could only stare at him and let him finish his story. "He kidnapped my friend, now they're here and they're attending this event for God knows what reason. This thing is my best chance to talk to my friend" Matthew looked at him without blinking, trying to see if Stefan was actually saying the truth. After a couple of minute he sighed.

"As I told you, I work for Mr. Diàz and since I occupy an high position I happen to be invited to the Charity Event. I can get you in but first I need you to answer one question: is this friend worth going against an Original and, most importantly, blow off my hot date?" People kept asking him that question like his answer was going to change at some point but he knew that it would never change.

"Yes, she's worth more than that"

"She, uh?" an amused smile appeared on Matt's lips. He took something black from his pocket that Stefan realized being a cell phone and he typed a number. "Susan, could you please call Miss. Barnes and tell her that I'm sorry but I had to cancel our date? Thank you, Susan" Matthew ended the call and looked right at Stefan. "Congratulations, you're officially my date and now we need to pick up your tux" the English vampire said, with a smirk. He stood up, paid the bill and encouraged Stefan to get up as well. For a moment Stefan thought that Matt wouldn't ask more questions about him or his plan but of course he was wrong.

"Now you have to tell me everything about this girl" Matthew said when they were already out of the café "She must be very special"

* * *

From the window of the living room, Klaus could see the sun going down behind the horizon. They were at the 10th floor and from there it was possible to have a small view of the ocean. It was a lovely landscape, Klaus thought but not nice enough to relax him. He was starting to lose his patience and being an Original makes you have a lot of that. He was sitting on the couch, desperately trying to find anything to distract himself but nothing actually worked. Not the view, not his thoughts, not the television (that infernal device that Klaus had always hated and never thought he would actually consider an option to spend time). He was tired of waiting and they were late.

"Caroline I enjoy your company but if you don't come out from that room, I'll have to knock it down and drag you out myself" he yelled at the direction of Caroline's door. "Then I'll probably kill you out of frustration"

"You don't want to show at a party full of respectable people with a date that looks like a character from The Walking Dead, do you?" Klaus didn't say a word, he just shacked his head in annoyance. Besides, he didn't even get the reference so he just dropped the subject. Caroline took his silence as a 'no' and added "Good, then be patience and let me work some magic"

Being around Caroline Forbes wasn't easy but Klaus enjoyed her company, very much. She was beautiful, she had a great sense of humor, she was sarcastic and even if that never turned out well for Klaus, he was amused of her personality. He really liked Caroline but he wasn't in love with her. He was in love once and he promised himself to never make the same mistake again. Didn't matter how great Caroline was, he'd never fall for her or anybody else. The prospective of being alone for all eternity didn't seem nice but he wasn't big on trust and that, for Klaus, was the base of every relationship. Trust was weakness. Klaus couldn't trust his own family or anyone around him, especially not Caroline, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy her company. After all nobody really wants to be alone and that's why he took Caroline with him after he left Mystic Falls. There was nothing for him in the little town since Elena's blood couldn't complete his hybrids' transition anymore and he needed to get out of there and leave those idiots that were so obsessed in trying to kill him. He couldn't be killed but that didn't mean he wasn't annoyed by them. Taking their friend from them had been a small revenge for Klaus. He could had killed them all but sometimes making people suffer for the lost of the people they care about was more plesant.

"I'm ready" Caroline's voice broke his stream of thoughts and his eyes rose to meet Caroline's figure. She was very beautiful with her green and golden dress that made her smile brighter and her curls falling to the side.

"You're right," Klaus begun "You should pick your own dresses from now on" the Original showed his best smile and while handing his arm to Caroline added "Shall we?"

* * *

She was excited to go to the party; after all the bad things that had happened it would have been to have some fun on the dance floor and enjoy fancy cocktails but the night hadn't turned out so great. The Charity Event was perfect in every possible way: Mr. Diàz's manor was even bigger and more beautiful than the Mikaelson's, Caroline felt like a princess when she entered the ballroom: she looked amazing in green and the golden mask matched her dress perfectly. The room was full of light, flowers and kind of food that she didn't know existed. The guests were all so well dressed and sophisticated that she had felt inappropriate for a moment, till Klaus reassured her with his charming voice. Everyone was wearing a mask and the ballroom seemed a picture of a taken in the old Venice during the Carnival.

Everything was really beautiful but she wasn't enjoying herself. To keep her busy, Klaus introduced her to some of the guests and while he was talking to the men, she tried to have a conversation with their wives and dates. Caroline had the feeling they didn't like her very much and so she begged Klaus to dance. Obviously he was honored of the offer and they did dance, a lot.

During their fourth dance, they've been interrupted by a tall, handsome man with a black mask in his left hand. Caroline thought that he wasn't older than 40 but his body seemed the one of a 30 years old man.

"Klaus Mikaelson" the man said, shaking Klaus' hand "I'm glad you made it. Who is the lovely lady with you?" his dark-brown eyes were now on Caroline and despite his cheerful expression, Caroline was tense and she could barely fake a smile.

"This is Caroline Forbes" Klaus said and then, looking at her, he pointed at the man and added "And this is Alexander Diàz"

"It's- it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Diàz"

"The pleasure it's mine, Miss. Forbes" Alexander said, bringing Caroline's hand close to his lips and tenderly kissed it. "Miss. Forbes may I steal your date? I really need to speak to him about some business. It won't take too long, I promise" Caroline nodded with a smile. Alexander took Klaus with him and they disappeared in the crowd leaving Caroline alone in a corner of the room.

"My grandmother taught me that no woman should be alone at a party" it was a male voice, it seemed to be very close to Caroline, though she wasn't sure the man was talking to her. She rose her eyes anyway, looking for the stranger that had just spoken. He was right in front of her: young, handsome, with golden-brown hair and bright eyes hidden by a silver mask.

"Excuse me?" the man smirked and stepped forward. Caroline could smell his scent: it was a familiar one though she couldn't remember of who.

"How could somebody leave such a beautiful lady all alone?"

"You know men, business before ladies" the man burst into a laugh and landed his hand to Caroline.

"May I have this dance before your date returns from his business" Caroline was surprised of the offer, he didn't even know the name of the guy but she was bored and without thinking twice about it, Caroline smiled and took his hand.

Caroline and the stranger didn't speak a word for half of the song, she was too captured by the man's ability to dance and his arm placed on her bare back.

"You're a fine dancer" Caroline said to break the silence "Do you also happen to have a name that goes with those magic feet?" the stranger smiled in amusement and brought Caroline closer so his lips were almost touching her ear.

"We don't have time for this Caroline, the song is almost over and you need to listen to me" Caroline wanted to break free from him, ask him why he knew her name, who was he but she was too surprised to speak. Besides the man's worlds caught her attention: he couldn't hurt her in a room full of people so the least she could do was listening.

"When the music stops go to the balcony upstairs, there's somebody waiting for you" now that they were closer, Caroline could see his eyes. There were beautiful and they seemed sincere. Caroline felt like she could trust this man but if Klaus had taught her something was to not trust anyone.

"Somebody who? What does he want from me?" the man shacked his head.

"This place is not safe to talk, just do what I've told you to. You have to trust me, Caroline" Caroline angrily put some distance in between them.

"How can I trust you? I don't even know you"

"Yes you don't know me but we have a friend in common. Besides, that's the point in trusting" and then the music stopped. Caroline was still confused but when the man left her hand and whispered 'go', she nodded and reached the stairs. She had no idea why she was doing what a stranger told her to but it seemed very important and somehow he gave her the impression to be trustworthy.

Finding the balcony had turned out to be easier than she thought. When Caroline climbed the stairs, a long corridor opened in front of her and at the end of it a glass door, fully opened, showed said balcony. Before stepping outside, the cold breeze touched Caroline's skin. Even if vampires didn't feel cold or hot, feeling the night air on her bare skin was a good sensation.

Caroline approached the balcony and her eyes immediately caught a dark figure: it was a man. He was turned, his head directed to the sky to watch the Moon. Caroline took a step forward, her heels made a cracking sound and she was behind the man in no time. He turned around to show himself but Caroline already knew who he was: the thought of him being there didn't even cross her mind but when she arrived upstairs and saw his figure she _knew_ it was him. It was impossible not to, everything about him was familiar: his scent, his figure, his hair. Though the familiarity didn't take away the surprise of seeing him there. He wasn't supposed to be there, he wasn't supposed to be anywhere near her . He was supposed to be miles away, he was supposed to be safe.

"Why are you here?" those were the only words Caroline managed to spell. She was trying to be tough, show him that she was fine and totally not happy to see him but keeping her tears inside wasn't going to be easy, that's why she didn't even blink. Her blue eyes were glued to Stefan's and they didn't seem to want to break free. Thankfully vampires didn't need to breathe because, in that moment, she wasn't able to. Her mind was a turbine of thoughts, her heart full of opposite feelings and her brain was too busy trying to control herself to remind her to breathe.

Thousands of thoughts crossed her mind in the few seconds she stared at Stefan. The happiness to see him got mixed to the worry of him being in danger, the surprise was mixed to the knowledge that he'd never leave her in danger and the need to hug him mixed to the urge to slap him. In all of her confusion, Caroline did nothing. She stayed still, her body shaking and waiting for Stefan to say something. He didn't open his mouth, he didn't even bend it into a smile. He just stepped forward to reach Caroline and hold her into his embrace.

For a moment everything disappear around them: she wasn't alone anymore, she wasn't in danger, she was happy. In Stefan's arms she could finally remember how it felt to be protected. Caroline placed his head on Stefan's chest and breathed his sweet scent mixed to the one of the pines.

It was Stefan who broke the hug but he didn't stop touching her, not completely: his hand reached Caroline's cheek and he smiled. He seemed tired but the dark circles around his eyes didn't cover the happiness in his expression. Caroline couldn't focus on anything other than Stefan's cold hand on her. They weren't used to physical contact. They had barely touched and when it happened it was casually, they weren't even aware of it. But this time Caroline was. She was perfectly aware of Stefan's cold hand stroking her cheek like she was a china doll. His touch was gentle, like he was afraid to break her. Stefan didn't know that his touch had the opposite effect on Caroline: she felt whole again. With her eyes closed and his perfume all around her, she almost felt like home. He was the closest thing that reminded her of home, but that wasn't home. The painful thought brought her mind back to reality.

"You shouldn't be here"

"That makes two of us" Caroline shake her head, to remove Stefan's hand. She didn't want to but his touch wasn't helping her to think rationally. Didn't matter how happy she felt in that moment, he was in danger, they both were.

There were too many thoughts in her mind, too many question she wanted to ask Stefan, about the strange man, about their friends but there was no time.

"Stefan," his name hurt more than she thought it was possible but she acted like it didn't hurt at all. "You have to go, now. Klaus is in the building, if he finds out that you're here-" Caroline couldn't finish the sentence, the thought of Stefan getting hurt because of her was too painful. That was exactly what she was trying to avoid.

"Caroline you have to listen to me!" Stefan's voice was cold but his eyes were bright like emeralds. She was drowning into them and it took all of her willpower to focus.

"I know what you're going to tell me. You want me to come with you but I can't, Stefan. I can't" she turned her back on him, unable to look at him in the eyes. He was there to save her, right? He had finally showed up, in his shining armor to bring her home. It didn't really matter that it was Elena who had begged him to go after her so he did. But she couldn't go with him and he probably knew it better than she did.

"I know and I wasn't going to ask you to. I just want to talk" Caroline froze. She was expecting Stefan to fight much harder, not because _he _wanted her friend back but because Elena did. Other hand she was happy that Stefan wasn't going to risk their friend's lives. She was a walking contradiction, but that wasn't new information.

"If you promise to leave then fine, let's talk" Her voice was a whisper but she knew Stefan had heard her perfectly.

"Not here. Meet me tomorrow at-"

"Are you insane?" Caroline almost yelled. She was finally facing Stefan and he had a surprised expression on his face. "I can barely go out when I'm with Klaus, what makes you think I can leave alone?"

"I know it won't be easy but you have to try. It's really important, Caroline" Stefan's eyes were begging and Caroline was never good at saying no to them. Meeting Stefan was the last thing she should do, it was too dangerous and she wasn't sure Klaus would let her leave the hotel alone but she could try.

"Okay" she said, not totally convinced of her own answer. "Where to you want us to meet?" she gave up too easily but she knew Stefan. If it wasn't important, he wouldn't ask her to meet him.

Stefan gave Caroline the coordinates to reach the meeting place and she prayed she'd remember them tomorrow.

"It's the motel where I'm staying at. We should be safe there"

"We'll never be safe, Stefan" he nodded and she sighed. "I can't promise I'll be there tomorrow so, if I won't, you have to go back to Mystic Falls. Promise me you'll go back" Caroline's voice almost broke. Her attempts to be strong were failing.

"I don't need to promise because you'll be there" he gripped her shoulder with more strength he meant to use "I _need_ you there"

"And I need to go. Klaus could be back anytime and if he doesn't see me, he'll get suspicious" Stefan nodded and let her go, reluctantly. She didn't want to go, she didn't want to leave him again. But again it wasn't about what she wanted rather about what it needed to be done. She turned in the direction of the glass door and started to go when a hand stopped her. Obviously it was Stefan's.

"Do you think we have another couple of minutes? Because I'd love to have a dance with you" Caroline smiled and Stefan, taking it as a yes, took her body to his and started to lead.

He wasn't as good as the stranger but his arms were a familiar place where Caroline easily found her place. They danced on the music coming coming from the ballroom. The only words they exchanged were when Stefan told Caroline how beautiful she was that night. He never told her something like that and, despite Caroline's expectations, Stefan didn't seem embarassed. He was looking at her with a sweet smile and she could see that he really meant those words. A lot of people had praised her beauty that night but that was the first time she felt truly beautiful. It was a slow, sweet dance. Caroline's eyes were closed, her head was resting on Stefan's chest while he was leading their dance. In that moment she could fall asleep and, for the first time since she left Mystic Falls, she wouldn't have nightmares. Stefan was there, she was safe. And even if deep down she knew it wasn't true, she didn't care. She didn't want to spoil her happiness. For a month, Caroline had felt trapped in hell and for how hard she'd tried, she was never able to find something beautiful but now she had. She was still trapped in hell but she had found a little piece of heaven in Stefan's arms. Everything was going wrong but in that exact moment everything seemed okay because she wasn't alone anymore. She was fine. But it couldn't last: when the music stopped, the reality set in and Caroline, like a proper Cinderella, left Stefan and went back to her nightmare. When she left the balcony, she didn't say goodbye. She wasn't ready to leave her safe place and deep down she knew she'd never be.


End file.
